UK borrowing costs tumble after Hunt shreds Truss’s mini budget October 17, 2022 UK borrowing costs scaled lower today after new chancellor Jeremy Hunt ripped up prime minister Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini budget. The yield on the 30-year UK gilt, which has suffered heavy selling since the mini budget last month, fell around 40 basis points to 4.33 per cent. Rates on the 2-year and 10-year UK [...]
Truss and Hunt to oversee protracted recession, EY Item Club forecasts October 17, 2022 The UK is on course for a long recession that will last from this winter through to next summer, underscoring the tough challenge facing prime minister Liz Truss and her new chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Rising inflation compounded by higher interest rates will force the economy into reverse in the current quarter until the summer of [...]
UK borrowing costs tank as mini budget U-turn rumours gather pace October 14, 2022 UK borrowing costs fell sharply today driven by chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and prime minister Liz Truss reportedly set to U-turn on more parts of their mini budget. The chancellor has today cut short his trip to the International Monetary Fund’s Washington meetings to hold emergency talks with Truss in London. Rumours of a second U-turn [...]
London’s FTSE 100 weighed down UK banks tumbling October 12, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was marred by the UK’s largest listed lenders falling sharply today on fears over borrowers struggling to pay home loans. The capital’s premier index fell 0.86 per cent to 6,826.15 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, dropped 1.73 per [...]
Sofa seller ScS: Shoppers may splurge on home makeovers instead of moving amid high mortgage rates October 11, 2022 Sofa seller ScS has suggested that some consumers may invest in home makeovers instead of opting to move house amid historically high mortgage rates. The furniture firm posted record sales growth on Tuesday morning but warned of “subdued” trading in recent weeks against a backdrop of household bills increasing. Revenue rose 8.6 per cent from [...]
UK house prices level out as Covid boom subsides October 7, 2022 UK house prices have dropped for the second time over the past three months in a sign the surge experienced over the previous year is starting to level out. Average UK house prices dropped by 0.1 per cent in September from August’s record highs of £293,992. The September drop marks the second marginal decrease over [...]
Construction firms clear backlogs before downturn hits October 6, 2022 Construction firms are clearing a huge backlog of work, but the sector is on course to shrivel in the coming months as it is whacked by soaring interest rates, a closely watched survey published today. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the construction industry swung [...]
Kwarteng tells bank execs he is ‘working closely’ with BoE to calm markets September 28, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng has told a group of investment bank executives that he is “working closely” with the Bank of England to calm markets. The chancellor and City minister Andrew Griffith said during a roundtable that the government has a “clear commitment to fiscal discipline” and outlined coming post-Brexit changes to financial services regulations, according to [...]
Kwarteng makes permanent cut to stamp duty in a bid to drive growth September 23, 2022 Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed stamp duty would be slashed from today in a bid to drive growth and boost confidence in the economy. Announcing his mini-budget, Kwarteng said: “Today’s statement is about growth. Home ownership is the most common route for people to own an asset, giving them a stake in the success of our economy [...]
Liz Truss cost of living support fails to prevent new consumer confidence low September 23, 2022 Liz Truss’s cost of living support has done nothing to lift Brits’ optimism out of the doldrums, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Consumer confidence collapsed five points over the last month to minus 49, the lowest since research firm GfK started tracking the figures in 1974. The survey was carried out between early [...]