The walls are closing in on the Chancellor October 23, 2024 With just one week to go until the Budget (arguably one of the most consequential in recent memory) economists, investors, analysts (and most certainly journalists) are scouring everything from tea leaves to official data for indications of what exactly the Chancellor is going to say next Wednesday. Most people agree that her choices are limited [...]
This Budget looks set to be more car park than roadmap October 23, 2024 You have probably read at least two dozen columns speculating on where those tax rises of doom are going to land in next week’s budget, so I’m not sure there is much more to say on the big topics of contention. We’ll find out soon enough whether employers’ National insurance (NI) really will go up, [...]
Andrew Bailey: Regulators must not be complacent on shadow banking threat October 22, 2024 Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warned regulators need more tools to deal with threats to financial stability today as he sounded the alarm on the “opaque” nature of the ‘shadow banking’ sector. In a speech at Bloomberg’s Global Regulatory Forum in New York, Bailey drew attention to the systemic risks posed by [...]
UK economy receives hefty growth upgrade from IMF October 22, 2024 The international fiscal watchdog now expects the UK to grow 1.1 per cent in 2024, up from a previous forecast of 0.7 per cent.
Autumn Budget: Which taxes will Rachel Reeves hike? October 22, 2024 With the Autumn Budget set to be delivered in just a few days, speculation about which taxes Chancellor Rachel Reeves will opt to raise has reached fever pitch. On entering No 11 Downing Street, Reeves commissioned the Treasury to conduct a thorough spending audit, which she claimed unearthed a “fiscal black hole” of £22bn, paving [...]
Borrowing figures show Reeves is in a fiscal bind ahead of Budget October 22, 2024 The latest figures showed that borrowing in September exceeded expectations yet again, driven by higher government spending.
Bitcoin’s surge is thanks to one thing: Donald Trump’s improving ratings October 22, 2024 Donald Trump’s rising chances in the upcoming presidential election are helping bitcoin’s price come back close to its all-time high. Bitcoin’s price is up 11.5 per cent in the last ten days, and 26 per cent from its seven-month low in September, and analysts are pointing to a simple reason for the spike: Trump. Trump’s [...]
Sabre Insurance: Motor insurance claims inflation continues to hit growth October 22, 2024 Motor insurer Sabre Insurance said it expects annual gross written premium growth to moderate slightly as claims inflation remains elevated.
Halfords: Customers more cautious on Autumn budget fears October 22, 2024 Uncertainty around the Autumn budget is holding back consumer confidence, Halfords warned today. This morning the retailer said group like-for-like sales ticked down by 0.1 per cent in the 26 weeks to 27 September, on strong prior-year comparatives of 8.3 per cent growth plus a wet spring. The company is on track to deliver £30m [...]
The Notebook: The self-employed pension crisis is on the cusp of boiling point October 22, 2024 A new report has shown the self-employed are facing a pension crisis. Interactive Investor's Craig Rickman digs into the findings.