Travis Perkins swings from £35m loss as it sails through inflationary headwinds March 1, 2022 Travis Perkins has swung from a £35m loss in 2020, raking in £241m in profit in 12 months, despite inflationary headwinds. Revenue jumped 24 per cent to £4.5bn in the year to December 31, as the building materials business continues its pandemic-era momentum – which saw many households undertaking DIY projects during lockdown. “2021 has [...]
Steepest rise since 2013: Train fare hike of almost 4 per cent to hit commuters from TODAY March 1, 2022 Train passengers in England and Wales face an increase in fares of up to 3.8 per cent from this morning. It is the steepest increase since January 2013, according to figures from industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Therefore, the Government has been accused of adding to the cost of living crisis following the [...]
Mirror and Daily Star publisher on track to double digital revenue by 2024 amid inflation concerns March 1, 2022 Shares in the publisher behind the Daily Mirror and Daily Star tanked as much as 25 per cent today, wiping about £180m from the company’s market value, after it warned that inflation would hit its 2022 profits hard. Despite digital revenue up over 25 per cent to £148.3m and 10m sign-ups across its titles, investors [...]
Britain and Ukraine are tied together by our independent tech industries March 1, 2022 AS RUSSIA launched an illegal war of aggression in eastern Europe, Ukraine may still feel quite far away from the UK, even though it is in Europe. Cities like Mariupol and Kharkiv are foreign to most Britons. Crimea is best known to most from a 200 year old poem. When Vladimir Putin talks of Ukraine [...]
University education can’t deliver the skills we need for the economy of the future March 1, 2022 TOO many jobs, wage inflation, and an abundance of flexible working opportunities. Compared to the threat of mass unemployment when the pandemic began two years ago, these feel like better problems to have. But labour market figures released last month revealed one serious problem: an exodus of older workers. Since March 2020, the number of [...]
Reforming fiscal regime is no taxing issue March 1, 2022 Amid the surplus of analysis devoted to improving the UK tax system, debate over whether the government’s current and future level of spending sometimes slips by. With interest rates expected to climb as the Bank of England leans even further into hawkish policy and inflation already hitting near 30-year highs, the cost of borrowing will [...]
Brits’ inflation expectations climb to record high piling pressure on BoE to launch more rate hikes February 28, 2022 Britons’ expectations for inflation in a decade’s time is running at a joint record high, heaping further pressure on the Bank of England to continue its rate hike cycle. Households think the cost of living will land at 4.1 per cent in ten years’ time, up from 3.8 per cent last month, the joint highest [...]
ABF and Primark sales to surpass pre-Covid levels as consumers eye luggage and swimwear February 28, 2022 Associated British Foods (ABF), which also owns budget retail chain Primark, has said it is on track to surpass pre-Covid levels of sales and operating profit. The food manufacturer has been battling against inflation, alongside the rising costs of energy, but anticipates grocery revenue to inch two per cent higher than 2021. While Primark sales [...]
Ukraine crisis: what does it mean for asset allocation? February 28, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is having devastating human consequences, has increased the risk of a stagflation environment – one of slowing economic growth but high inflation. How should investors prepare for this possible scenario? Our analysis reveals which asset classes are likely to outperform if it comes to pass. Our live blog on the Ukraine crisis [...]
Petrol prices hit £1.51 per litre as cost of living crisis deepens February 28, 2022 UK petrol prices have broken records yet again following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has further driven fears of supply shortages and seen oil prices spike to over $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. The latest fuel watch figures from motoring group RAC reveal that unleaded petrol hit a peak on Sunday, [...]