Experian profits rise as customers lean on credit checks November 16, 2022 Credit checker Experian reported a 21 per cent slump in pre-tax profits in the first half of the year on as soaring inflation and rising interest rates pushed up costs and devalued its assets across Europe and the Middle East.
Beazley raises £350m from directors and investors November 16, 2022 Beazley has raised £350m in a recent share placing, as directors including the CEO build up their stakes in the insurance group. The placing, organised by JP Morgan and British broker Numis, has seen 9.99 per cent of the company’s share capital sold off to directors and investors. Buyers took advantage of an around eight [...]
SSE profits soar in line with energy prices as windfall tax expansion looms November 16, 2022 Energy giant SSE reported a 221 per cent surge in pre-tax profits for the first half of the year today on the back of spike in gas and electricity prices this year.
Appease the markets and his own party? Jeremy Hunt has a frightful task November 16, 2022 Tomorrow, Jeremy Hunt needs to deliver a plan that both wins the confidence of the city – and the financial markets – and is politically palatable. This comes off the back of a narrative which has converged around terms like “black holes” and “difficult decisions”. The emerging theme is that there is a gap in [...]
Rishi Sunak: City should show ‘restraint’ on pay – but no u-turn on banker bonuses November 15, 2022 Rishi Sunak said Britain’s top business bosses needed to show ‘restraint’ on pay this year amid inflation concerns. “In a situation like this, I’m sure executives of most companies will be thinking about pay settlements for senior management, for their workers, and making sure they are fair,” the Prime Minister told broadcasters whilst in Bali [...]
UK loses over half a million work days to strikes and unions signal more to come November 15, 2022 The number of working days lost to strike action in the UK over the summer topped 560,000, stats out today reveal, and unions have warned this year’s total could hit the highest yearly number this century. The combined September and August figure is the highest two month total in over a decade, according to the [...]
Workers’ real pay erodes at historic pace despite huge wage rises November 15, 2022 Workers’ pay is still being eroded at a historic pace by rampant inflation despite employers hiking wages by one of the greatest amounts since records began, official figures revealed today. When taking off the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) preferred measure of inflation, pay excluding bonuses dropped 2.7 per cent over the last three months, [...]
Without Brexit, there would never have been a harsh austerity Budget this week, says BoE veteran November 15, 2022 The real reason Britain is facing harsh austerity measures is the UK’s departure from the EU, according to a senior economist. Former Bank of England interest rate policy maker Michael Saunders said that Brexit has ‘permanently damaged’ the UK’s economy. “The UK economy as a whole has been permanently damaged by Brexit,” said Saunders, who [...]
Ninety One suffers slump in assets as volatility hits November 15, 2022 London-listed asset manager Ninety One said it had suffered an eight per cent slump in its assets in the first six months of the year as its holdings were rocked by rising interest rates and soaring inflation.
Price of independence: Scots warned breaking away from UK may mean 20 per cent cut in income November 15, 2022 Crashing out of the Pound Sterling in the wake of an independence vote would cost the average Scottish household 20 per cent of their income, according to new analysis published today. The findings set out how the introduction of a new Scottish currency would hike the cost of imports, increase debt costs and lead to [...]