US Federal Reserve hikes rates at quickest pace in over two decades May 4, 2022 The world’s most influential central bank today hiked interest rates at the quickest pace since 2000 in a sign the era of cheap money is coming to an end. The US Federal Reserve lifted the financial system’s key interest rate 50 basis points to a range of 0.75-1 per cent as it scrambles to douse [...]
UK mortgage debt swells to £7bn as interest rates rise May 4, 2022 Mortgage debt swelled in March, according to Bank of England data, with net borrowing climbing from £4.6bn to £7bn in March as interest rates rise. House purchase mortgage approvals slipped to 70.7k in March from 71.0k in February, slightly ahead of consensus but moving towards their 2015 to 2019 average of 66.5k – which analysts [...]
Supermarket sales slow over Easter as Brits start to cut back on grocery purchases May 4, 2022 Supermarket sales slowed last month as spending habits returned to normal after pandemic restrictions. Households are tightening their purse strings after the first tranche of higher bills hit budgets this spring while spending habits are also normalising after the easing of lockdown restrictions. Shoppers added slightly fewer items to their baskets over the last four [...]
Starmer could hardly ask for a stronger position – but he’s still squandering it May 4, 2022 You couldn’t open Twitter on Sunday without seeing the name – Tony Blair. Sunday marked 25 years since New Labour trounced John Major’s broken Conservative Party at the 1997 General Election. Mr Blair handed the Tories – riddled with sleaze and incompetence – their worst drubbing since 1906. Less than a year before, the die [...]
Tories face losing 550 seats tomorrow: Johnson and Starmer race to make final pitches before local elections May 4, 2022 Local party leaders and the nation’s more familiar faces are racing to make their final pitches today and visit key electoral battlegrounds on the last day of political campaigning before voters go to the polls on Thursday. The political fortunes of the major party leaders are likely to be influenced by what voters decide in [...]
Let Brits pick value brands over own-branded products to beat cost of living crisis, Cabinet minister suggests May 4, 2022 A Cabinet minister suggested shoppers could choose value brands to help cope with rising food prices. Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News that rising fertiliser and feed costs had hit the farming industry, partly as a result of soaring energy prices. “The better news is that we have a very, very competitive retail market [...]
7 in 10 first-time buyers forced to delay property purchase as cost of living crisis drains home seekers’ wallets May 4, 2022 A staggering 70 per cent of potential first-time buyers looking to buy in the next year or two have decided to delay their purchases as rising living costs hit their ability to save, according to a survey. Nearly nine in 10 said their ability to save for a deposit has been affected by the rising [...]
Sales slow at J D Wetherspoon as costs rocket and punters dip May 4, 2022 Sales at J D Wetherspoon dipped four per cent in the third quarter as the pub group struggles to keep pace with pre-pandemic levels.
From Russia with losses: BP counts the cost of Rosneft exit amid escalating windfall tax row May 4, 2022 BP’s decision to pull out of its Russian holdings after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine has blown a £20bn hole in its first quarter finances.
Cost of living crunch to deliver shock to UK households’ balance sheets May 4, 2022 Households’ balance sheets are set to be tainted by problem debt this year, driven by the worsening cost of living crunch forcing Brits to turn to credit cards to pay bills, reveals fresh analysis published today. Accelerating inflation over the course of this year is likely to spark a jump in unsecured lending, credit that [...]