Uncertainty from our leaders is keeping our economic recovery wavering on the brink February 2, 2022 In November last year, the UK’s total GDP output finally regained its pre-pandemic level. But although the economic recovery is on an upward trajectory, there is a disconcerting stop-start hesitancy to it. A reasonable indicator of where the economy stands in any given month is the purchasing managers’ index which shows the prevailing direction of [...]
Rampant inflation forces Brits to dip into Covid-19 savings February 1, 2022 Brits are unleashing the enormous stock of savings amassed over the course of the Covid-19 crisis to maintain spending amid soaring inflation, reveal fresh official figures released today. Households are turning to drawing down savings due to the intensifying cost of living crunch stretching their budgets. The combined £3.2bn jump in households savings over the [...]
Economists call hike in national insurance tax during cost of living crisis ‘extremely perverse’ February 1, 2022 Raising national insurance contributions during a cost of living crisis is the wrong thing to do, economists have warned. Giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee, Tom Clougherty, from the Centre for Policy Studies, said it was “extremely perverse” to raise the tax currently and it should be delayed. Clougherty said it was “extremely perverse [...]
Cream of central banking crop have underestimated inflation crunch, experts warn January 31, 2022 The world’s top central banks have underestimated the stickiness of inflation spreading throughout rich economies, prompting them to launch a quicker than expected rate hike cycle this year. Measures used to quantify the severity of underlying inflation pressures will stay high even by the end of the year in most rich countries, according to fresh [...]
Households braced for mortgage shock ahead of rates hike as cost of living crisis deepens January 31, 2022 Fresh warnings over the cost of living have been issued as millions of households could face a huge mortgage shock. Trade body UK Finance has said one in four mortgage borrowers on variable rate deals will be affected by an anticipated rates rise, The Telegraph first reported. The Bank of England is anticipated to hike [...]
Editorial: These “tax-cutting Conservatives” seem very keen on hiking taxes January 30, 2022 If it quacks like a high-tax duck and talks like a high-tax duck, it is difficult to believe that it is fact anything but a high-tax duck. So it is with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, who professed this weekend to be “tax-cutting Conservatives” in a column confirming they were dead set on hiking national [...]
Bank of England to hoist rates to highest level since 2009 January 30, 2022 Interest rates in the UK will climb to the highest level since the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis by the end of the year, City traders are betting. The Bank will reinforce its sharp policy shift to zeroing in on rampant inflation at its meeting of rate setters this Thursday after it hiked rates [...]
Liz Truss dismisses misuse of public money claims as Foreign Secretary spent £500,000 to fly to Australia January 28, 2022 Liz Truss’ recent journey to Australia has reportedly cost taxpayers around £500,000. However, the Foreign Secretary has defended chartering a private jet. The Independent reported the Foreign Secretary had opted for the chartered flight for her trip last week due to security concerns, although commercial routes were available. The newspaper said she had travelled on [...]
FCA requested to review buildings insurers as Gove says leaseholders hit with ‘rapidly escalating’ costs January 28, 2022 The financial services regulator has been requested to review the buildings insurance market for blocks of flats. In a letter to the regulator, housing minister Micheal Gove said he was “extremely concerned” to hear from leaseholders about their experience of “rapidly escalating” insurance premiums on high and medium-rise blocks. There have been cases where insurance [...]
US economy smashes Wall Street expectations as GDP accelerates at quickest pace since 1980s January 27, 2022 The US economy is powering faster than Wall Street can keep up with as the recovery across the pond continues to gather momentum. Stateside GDP growth came in at 6.9 per cent in the final three months of last year, the US Commerce Department said today. Experts had been pencilling in a 5.5 per cent [...]