Sky-high inflation slows UK private sector economy to ‘standstill’ August 1, 2022 Consumers reacting to scaling prices by cutting spending is expected to grind the UK economy to a halt, new surveys published today revealed. Private sector firms think they will squeeze out zero growth over the next three months, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the country’s largest business lobby group. Businesses are beginning [...]
UK lags behind EU rivals in easing burden of fuel prices August 1, 2022 The UK lags behind many of its EU rivals when it comes to easing the burden of high fuel prices. Data released today by motoring group RAC has shown that – among the EU countries that have cut petrol taxes since March – only Luxembourg and Croatia have done less for drivers than Britain. The [...]
Currys told to ditch price lock by shareholder to increase margins July 31, 2022 Currys has been told to ditch its “price lock” commitment and make goods more expensive by a veteran hedge fund manager amid the cost of living crisis. Crispin Odey, who holds a substantial stake in the firm, said “freezers and washing machines are going to have to be more expensive as they are currently being [...]
BP to unveil bumper profits as Brits face record energy bills this winter July 31, 2022 BP will follow in the footsteps of their rivals and unveil record quarterly profits next Tuesday, as Brits face record energy bills this winter.
Severing business ties with China risks weighing on UK economy, says CBI boss July 30, 2022 Severing ties with Chinese business risks weighing on the UK’s cost of living crisis, the boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has cautioned today. Worsening relations between Beijing and the West has piled scrutiny onto Chinese businesses and investments, including the move in 2020 to remove Shenzhen-based Huawei from UK 5G infrastructure, and [...]
£1.4bn booster results: AstraZeneca’s strong performance paves a runway for growth July 29, 2022 Pharma giant AstraZeneca saw first half revenues rise by 48 per cent to $22.2bn, ignoring the impact of exchange rates, as the company saw growth in all divisions apart from Other Medicines. Excluding the impact of the Alexion acquisition, exchange rates, and other one-off costs, operating profit was 71 per cent higher at £1.4bn. This [...]
COP27 blog: what next for climate change? July 29, 2022 With just over 100 days to go until the UN climate summit, we kick off our running blog with a COP26 recap and a look at what’s next. The United Nations’ climate conference COP27 is set to take place in Egypt this November. Lisa Sizeland in Schroders’ global content team has summarised what COP27 is and why it [...]
Rightmove’s profits and revenue up while average of 1.5bn minutes spend on site a month July 29, 2022 Renting site Rightmove had a spike in both profits and revenues in the first half of the year, as customers spent an average of 1.5bn minutes on its site per month. It raked in £162m in the first half of the year, up nine per cent on 2021, while its operating profit was at £121.3m, [...]
London’s ULEZ must be fair and effective or risk reversal July 29, 2022 THE CLIMATE is changing rapidly. We saw that with the heatwaves that swept the country and the fires raging in Europe. But climate action can’t steamroll over people, or make them poorer as an economic crisis sets in. Well-meaning but unfair policies will, after all, eventually be unwound. No policy is a better example than [...]
Hefty £1.5bn trading error legal charge erodes Barclays profits July 28, 2022 A £1.5bn legal charge for a trading error has eroded British bank Barclays’s profits, it announced today. Hefty litigation and regulatory costs to deal with selling too many financial products dealt a major blow to Barclays’s first half earnings. Pre-tax profits dropped by a quarter to £3.7bn in the six months to June, down from [...]