Average UK house costs £271,613 as price growth shows ‘tenative signs of slowdown’ June 30, 2022 The pace of UK house price growth slowed modestly last month, with the price tag of a standard home hitting a new record high of £271,613. According to the Nationwide House Price Index published on Thursday, average prices increased by over £26,000 in the past year. The rate of annual growth slowed to 10.7 per [...]
Brits’ disposable incomes fell once more at the start of the year June 30, 2022 Brits’ disposable income tumbled further in the first quarter of the year, according to official statistics. According to the Office for National Statistics, Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) dropped by 0.2 per cent in the quarter of January to March. While nominal household gross disposable income grew, it was offset by quarterly household inflation. This [...]
Adding agency workers into the strikes row will nurture a prolonged political headache June 30, 2022 Last week, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, defended plans to allow businesses to use agency staff to plug gaps caused by striking workers. For the unions, this is tantamount to cutting them off at the knees. Britain’s workforce has changed fundamentally since the law in question was introduced, in 2003. Agency workers are now part [...]
Impacts of Covid and Brexit hard to uncouple, MPC appointee Dr Swati Dhingra June 29, 2022 Dr. Swati Dhingra said that the impacts of Covid and the impacts of Brexit are still difficult to differentiate. In an oral evidence session following her appointment to the Monetary Policy Committee, Dr. Dhingra said “We’re still struggling with how to distinguish between the impacts of Covid and Brexit,” with the EU exit date coinciding [...]
Small businesses lambast government’s price cut plan for being a “slap in the face” June 29, 2022 Asking small businesses to cut product prices as a way for the government to help Brits with the cost-of-living crisis was deemed as a “slap in the face” by trade bodies. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) argued that forcing small firms to “soak up additional costs just isn’t realistic,” as business owners are no [...]
Bailey: Steeper rate hike at Bank of England’s next meeting is ‘on the table’ June 29, 2022 A larger rate hike is “on the table” at the Bank of England’s next meeting on 4 August, its chief said today. Speaking on a panel at the European Central Bank’s (ECB) forum on central banking in Sintra, Portugal, Bank governor Andrew Bailey did not rule out a steeper rate rise, saying “there will be [...]
H&M warns more price increases could be on the way for shoppers as ‘many challenges’ continue June 29, 2022 The second largest global fashion firm H&M has warned it plans to hike prices even further this year. The Stockholm-based retailer posted pre-tax profit of 4.78bn Swedish crowns ($471m) on Wednesday, surpassing analysts’ expectations. Profit boosted by 33 per cent compared to the same period last year. The buoyant half-year results came after the fashion [...]
AIM IPOs fall to lowest level since 2009 with just one in Q2 2022 June 29, 2022 The UK’s Alternative Investment Market had the lowest number of IPOs since 2009 in 2022’s second quarter. Only one company floated in Q2 and raised £6m, research by accountancy group UHY Hacker Young found. The last quarter to experience IPO activity this low was the first quarter of 2009, following the start of the financial crisis, [...]
Sales at Morrisons drop as supermarket boss cites ‘very fragile’ trading environment June 29, 2022 Supermarket Morrisons has seen sales drop by 6.4 per cent in the second quarter of the year, blaming a “very fragile and difficult consumer environment.” In a trading update for the 13 weeks ending 1 May, the grocer said it had experienced a “very challenging” trading environment with cash-strapped Brits tightening their belts as inflation [...]
Are we heading for a global recession? June 29, 2022 Keith Wade, Chief Economist, discusses what central bankers’ next move might be, what markets are pricing in and what the probability of a recession is. People are worrying about a global recession and with good reason. But what if the factors driving rising prices are beyond the limits of policymakers’ control? The squeeze on living [...]