Outlook 2022: UK equities December 16, 2021 The UK holds many mispriced opportunities for stockpickers. Pick-up in M&A activity is striking. Stock market fit for the future. Sue Noffke, Head of UK Equities: UK shares remain cheap because of the perceived significant political and economic risks of Brexit, which continue to linger and depress the valuation of the UK stock market. We [...]
Hospitality pleads Chancellor for support amid ‘deja vu’ of mass cancellations reminiscent of March 2020 December 16, 2021 Pubs and restaurants have condemned the Chancellor’s “silence” over support measures for businesses after mass cancellations amid a surge in Omicron Covid cases. England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said the public should be considering “de-prioritising” certain social events in order to ensure they can visit family at Christmas. Fears of the highly transmissible Omicron [...]
Sunak’s quietly simplified tax policy could unshackle our economy – or strangle it December 16, 2021 Tax Day hardly sounds like the kind of day we want to mark on the calendar. It is a relatively new practice, when the government dumps an array of tax consultations, reforms and policy proposals on the Treasury’s website, all in one go. Unsurprisingly, they mostly happen without fanfare. But they do offer us helpful [...]
PMQs: Starmer slams Prime Minister’s ‘weak’ leadership with party split over Omicron restrictions December 15, 2021 Starmer slammed the Prime Minister as being too weak to lead the country with the Tories deeply split over new Omicron restrictions.
Decade-high inflation print dials up pressure on Bank of England to hike rates December 15, 2021 Pressure on the Bank of England to hike rates is dialling up amid swelling energy bills causing inflation to skyrocket to its highest level in over a decade. The cost of living climbed to 5.1 per cent last month, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, smashing analysts’ expectations and [...]
China’s Evergrande: not so grand financial statements? December 15, 2021 Evergrande Group is the latest listed company to unexpectedly find itself on the verge of bankruptcy. When businesses are thrust into public view for the wrong reasons, my first thought is always whether trouble could have been coming. To see if the Chinese property development giant’s travails could have been anticipated, I looked at its [...]
Soho restaurants and cafés hit by Omicron restrictions December 14, 2021 Soho restaurants and cafés have been forced to rip up reservation lists as new Covid-19 restrictions scares punters from the West End.
Firms could be forced to get rid of staff without clarity on further financial support December 14, 2021 Retailers and hospitality bosses have reiterated calls for fresh financial support measures as trade is hit by Omicron restrictions ahead of Christmas. Businesses said consumer confidence has been hit by the latest headlines, with shops reporting reduced footfall and pubs seeing cancellations of bookings. Londoners are bunkering down in a bid to ensure they can [...]
Dual threat of Omicron and Plan B to destabilise UK jobs market recovery, warn City economists December 14, 2021 The dual threat of the Omicron variant and strict restrictions on daily life to curb its spread will smash the UK jobs market, City economists warned today. Measures to cut Brits’ social contact in a bid to quash the new coronavirus strain, including being encouraged to work from home, will hit retail, leisure and hospitality [...]
Covid fear-mongering will slash through business confidence December 14, 2021 Businesses need confidence even more than they need good policy. Whispers from government over the need for Plan C and the possibility of a Plan D, before MPs have even voted on Plan B, are just the latest in a long line of public utterances that undermine business confidence – with very real results. Business [...]