Government must rival US $370bn IRA or risk gutting UK electric car industry March 13, 2023 The government needs to ramp up spending on Britain’s electric vehicle (EV) industry or risk being left behind by the US and its peers who are injecting hundreds of billions of pounds into their auto industries. That’s according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the representative body of the automotive sector, who [...]
Recession kicked into long grass as UK steams ahead of Europe and US March 13, 2023 A recession hitting the UK economy is looking like an increasingly far flung prospect after yet more data today shows businesses and families are fending off the cost of living crunch. A net balance of 43 per cent of UK businesses are buoyant about the economy over the coming year, the highest level in a [...]
Week ahead: ECB Lagarde to sign off on another 50 point interest rate hike and Deliveroo updates markets March 12, 2023 Topping City traders’ minds this week will be what is tipped to be another 50 basis point interest rate hike by the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday. The monetary authority of the 20 countries using the euro has explicitly told markets to expect another steep rate hike this week and possibly more in the [...]
Silicon Valley Bank’s demise began with downgrade threat March 11, 2023 In the middle of last week, Moody’s Investors Service delivered alarming news to SVB Financial Group, the parent of Silicon Valley Bank: the ratings firm was preparing to downgrade the bank’s credit. That phone call, described by two people familiar with the situation, began the process toward Friday’s spectacular collapse of the startup-focused lender, the biggest bank [...]
Health Secretary invites junior doctors for pay talks ahead of 72-hour strike March 11, 2023 The Health Secretary has invited junior doctors for pay talks in an attempt to avert next week’s three-day strike amid a bitter dispute over pay. Steve Barclay said he had proposed negotiations “on the same basis other health unions accepted”, after planned industrial action by tens of thousands of key workers was suspended when the [...]
Tube and rail strikes THIS WEEK: How will industrial action affect London commuters and hospitality? March 11, 2023 Parts of Britain’s rail network – including London’s underground system – will be closed during next week’s Budget day strikes, bringing the country to a standstill and hitting hospitality hard. Hospitality bosses have warned the impact of the strikes will hit pubs, bars and restaurants hard, with an estimated £2.5bn having already been lost in [...]
Hunt pledges £20bn for carbon capture and nuclear ramp-up in clean energy push March 11, 2023 The government will commit billions of pounds to new energy projects at next week’s budget, in a bid to compete with rival markets.
What’s going on at Silicon Valley Bank and why is it shaking UK banking stocks? March 10, 2023 Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has built its reputation lending to some of the world’s most innovate start-ups and investors. But the Nasdaq-listed bank has now been rocked by what some fear could turn into a very old-fashioned bank run. Shares in the firm have plunged more than 60 per cent in two days and jitters [...]
If you can’t afford your mortgage: What the FCA’s lender guidance means for borrowers March 10, 2023 Successive interest rate rises are increasing mortgage costs for millions of borrowers, according to both regulators, lenders and advisers. One of the main City watchdog shas estimated an extra 356,000 mortgage borrowers could face payment difficulties by the end of June 2024, in addition to those who are already behind. The Financial Conduct Authority has issued final [...]
Oil suffers biggest drop in five weeks as Federal Reserve signals more interest rate hikes March 10, 2023 Oil is heading for its biggest weekly loss in five weeks, fuelled by investor fears over steep interest rate hikes in the US.