UK narrowly avoids recession as GDP remains unchanged but Jeremy Hunt warns country ‘not out the woods yet’ February 10, 2023 The UK very narrowly avoided a recession in the final months of last year but the economy contracted sharply over Christmas, official figures out today reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP) remained unchanged in the final three months of last year, meaning the country swerved the technical recession definition of two consecutive quarters of contraction, according [...]
Deliveroo cuts 350 jobs as cost of living dims British and Irish appetite for takeaways February 9, 2023 Deliveroo has been forced to slash 350 job roles across all levels as it attempts to navigate a difficult economic outlook and a decline in take away sales post pandemic. Will Shu, chief executive of the food delivery app, revealed the news to staff on Thursday – blaming high inflation, recession fears and a decision [...]
Business lending to drop at fastest rate in decades as recession fears intensify February 6, 2023 Bank to business lending is forecast to contract sharply in 2023 while mortgage lending will grow at its slowest pace since 2011 as fears of recession intensify, economists have predicted. According to the latest forecast from EY Item Club, an economic forecasting group, bank to business lending is expected to contract 3.8 per cent this [...]
Once again the world’s economies prove that Bitcoin can be the answer to their problems February 3, 2023 Jason Deane has some telling observations from around the world and says the struggle with inflation has an obvious answer in Bitcoin.
Soaring cost of living leaves service sector at its weakest in two years, but recession fears fail to blight UK business optimism February 3, 2023 The UK’s service sector saw business activity at the start of 2023 decline for the fourth consecutive month, with the weakest performance for two years. The S&P Global/CIPS UK services PMI survey showed a reading of 48.7 in January, down from 49.9 in December; any reading below 50 is considered a decline. Although only marginal, [...]
Flying start to 2023: Shares up after 16m passengers take to skies on Ryanair and Wizz Air February 2, 2023 Shares for low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air have gone up this morning after both reported a strong start to 2023, with passenger numbers well above 2022 levels. Ryanair’s passenger numbers soared to 11.8 million in the last month, 69 per cent up on January last year, while Wizz Air’s levels soared 73 per cent [...]
Ryanair’s profits skyrocket to eye-watering £184.9m as low-cost airline cashes in on strong dollar and Asian tourists January 30, 2023 Ryanair has posted its largest third quarter profit after tax for the winter quarter as a boom in demand helped it soar past pre-Covid levels. In the three months ending 31 December, the Dublin-based carrier reported a pre-tax profit of €211m (£184.9m), up from last year’s loss of €96m. This was also up on the [...]
House prices: Zoopla says UK property market is off to ‘slow burn start’ with London flats in most demand January 30, 2023 The housing market in the UK has got off to a slow in 2023 with demand for cheaper, smaller properties on the rise as recession fears continue to wobble the market, according to estate agent Zoopla. Zoopla’s house price index appeared to show that buyers were holding off from entering the market and were biding [...]
FCA to take swift action against firms flouting consumer duty rules, lawyers warn January 29, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority is expected to take swift action against firms that fail to comply with new rules to protect savers and retail investors, City lawyers have warned. The City watchdog announced a major overhaul to consumer regulation last summer in the new Consumer Duty, which is set to shift greater onus onto companies [...]
Three things we learnt from Easyjet and Wizz Air’s results January 29, 2023 The European aviation industry took centre stage last week, with low-cost carriers Easyjet and Wizz Air posting their financial results for the final three months of last year. Both were encouraging, with each firm reporting revenue rises driven by Brits returning to the skies after pandemic travel restrictions. Easyjet’s income jumped to £1.5bn after traveller [...]