Services economy stalls as UK ‘drifts’ toward recession October 5, 2022 Britain’s all important services economy is stagnating, driven by consumers cutting spending in response to soaring inflation, a closely watched survey out today shows. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 50 last month from 50.9 in August. The reading means the UK services economy [...]
Topps Tiles tops full year expectations as the DIY boom continues October 5, 2022 Sales continued to climb for Topps Tiles as the DIY boom shows no signs of stopping beyond the pandemic. Group sales in the 52-week period were approximately £247.3m, a second consecutive record year of turnover, with year on year sales growth of 10.6 per cent. Topps Tiles said it continued to perform well against a [...]
Dispatch from Birmingham: Truss’ MPs go into hiding as the tide turns once again October 5, 2022 As Conservative politicians, members, policy wonks and journalists decamped to Birmingham, there was a rumour one unnamed Tory MP had arrived early to take pictures around the city, which they could then post on social media while spending Tory conference from the comfort of their hotel room. Elsewhere, one journalist complained of being unable to [...]
Optimism in the air as Bitcoin creeps closer to $20k October 4, 2022 There’s been a general upward trend in cryptocurrency prices over the last 24 hours, with Bitcoin up 3.7% and trading at $19,891 this morning.
17,000 construction firms risk collapsing any minute as high inflation is ‘destroying entire sector’ October 4, 2022 The number of UK construction companies at significant risk of closure has jumped 54 per cent to 16,755 this quarter, up from 10,686, according to fresh data shared with City A.M. this morning. Construction companies are struggling to cope with spiralling construction costs, inflation and rising interest rates on their debt. In the last quarter [...]
Pension giant L&G says liquidity strong despite ‘mini-budget’ fallout October 4, 2022 Pensions giant L&G moved to reassure markets of its cash position today after it was caught up in the economic fallout of the government’s mini-budget last week.
Greggs: Sausage roll sales rise as consumers look for cheaper eats October 4, 2022 Greggs has reported surging sales this autumn while making no changes to its cost inflation outlook for the year. The sausage roll specialist said on Tuesday that total sales were up 14.6 per cent for the 13 weeks to 1 October 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. Price increases of around five pence [...]
We need up-to-date skills to bolster financial services October 4, 2022 As the government prioritises growth in pursuit of a “big bang 2.0”, it’s worth considering what it takes to grow one of our most critical sectors: financial services. Last week Multiverse launched a new research report looking at what the future of financial services in the UK looks like. The message from employees in every [...]
Letters: Mind your credit score October 4, 2022 [Re: Don’t penalise cash-strapped Brits, FCA warns insurers, 29 September] As interest rates soar, the FCA’s call to lenders to offer borrowers solutions is a stark reminder that consumers’ needs must remain front and centre. Against skyrocketing living costs and a mortgage industry in turmoil, our research shows half of lenders are still using outdated [...]
Majority of UK firms to ramp up business travel spending by next year October 3, 2022 The majority of UK businesses are set to ramp up their travel spending in the next year, according to research. Data published on Monday by American Express revealed that 68 per cent of UK companies would increase their business travel spending by at least 50 per cent, while four in ten firms are looking to [...]