Best of this week in our opinion pages: from community-based solutions for fighting terrorism to the Bank of England’s dilemmas February 12, 2022 As talks of a definitive lifting of Covid-19 restrictions intensify, workers are coming back to their offices in flocks, bringing liveliness back into the Square Mile. Richard Kauntze wrote about an often overlooked aspect of the City’s inner workings: the unofficial economy of gossip. The City has long thrived on whispered tittle-tattle, which plays a [...]
Klarna eyes up $60bn valuation with new funding round February 10, 2022 Buy now pay later (BNPL) giant Klarna is eyeing up a new funding round that could see its valuation jump to $60bn (£44bn) as it looks to fund an expansion.
Want fairness? Beware the opportunistic calls for a windfall tax on energy giants February 10, 2022 Both the Labour and the Lib Dems have proposed a “one-off” windfall tax on the profits of UK oil and gas companies to help families struggling with their energy bills. Surely it’s only fair that giants like BP and Shell, making bumper profits, should be asked to pay a little more? Not quite. For a [...]
Bailey’s wage dilemma is real, but the Bank has dragged its feet on inflation February 10, 2022 It is often argued the signal central banks’ bond buying programmes send to markets is more effective at shaping financial conditions than the purchases themselves. It is all about influencing expectations by sending the message that monetary policy will stay loose. Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey’s message to workers to temper pay [...]
Inflation crunch to intensify as wave of firms hike prices to survive cost assault February 10, 2022 A cost assault is forcing businesses to hike prices to protect margins in a sign the UK cost of living crisis is set to get worse before it gets better, reveals a new study published today. Around three in four firms are raising prices to weather soaring energy and staffing costs in what is being [...]
Persistent labour crunch intensifies pay pressures in sign of sticky inflation February 10, 2022 A shallower pool of available workers and growing calls among staff for employers to lift pay to offset the cost of living crunch is stoking wage tension in the jobs market, reveals fresh figures released today. Intensifying pay pressures in the jobs markets adds to the growing body of evidence indicating historically high inflation could [...]
Surging rents ‘fanning the flames of cost of living crisis’ February 9, 2022 Rents have surged 8.3 per cent in a year, to the highest level they have been in 13 years. London rents have risen 11 per cent in a year as office workers have returned to the capital. Monthly rents are up £62 since the start of the pandemic, hitting an average of £969 a month, [...]
More economists warn of cost of living crunch’s drag on UK growth February 8, 2022 The squeeze on households’ living standards from the cost of living crunch will drag on the UK economy this year, reveals fresh forecasts published today. A triple whammy of Inflation topping seven per cent, a heavier tax burden and swelling energy bills is set to erode consumers’ real incomes, prompting a pull back in spending, [...]
Plan B curbs to put downer on otherwise historic year for UK economy February 8, 2022 The re-emergence of Covid-19 restrictions put a downer on an otherwise historic year for the UK economy, reveal new forecasts released today. The imposition of Plan B measures throughout December in a bid to tame the rapid spread of the Omicron variant caused the British economy to contract in the final month of 2021, according [...]
BP rebounds with 30-fold increase in profit amid surging oil prices February 8, 2022 Oil and gas giant BP has rebounded with fourth-quarter profits of $2.3bn and a replacement cost profit of $4.1bn.