Bank of England backs ‘substantial’ LDI cash buffer boost to prevent repeat of mini budget chaos March 29, 2023 Pension funds that borrow hundreds of billions of pounds to maximise returns for clients need to keep more money aside to withstand a repeat of the financial market aftershocks which followed Liz Truss’s mini-budget, the Bank of England has recommended. Liability driven investment (LDI) funds that are used by retirement funds to boost returns for [...]
Why the Bank of England and Fed could welcome Credit Suisse and Silicon Valley Bank failures March 28, 2023 There’s been reams and reams of wild predictions about whether we’re slipping into another financial crisis, triggered by the collapse of US tech lender Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse’s arranged marriage with its crosstown rival UBS. Blackrock chief Larry Fink even warned in his annual letter to shareholders we’re slipping into a slow [...]
L&G report: Inflation is widening gap between rich and poor with ‘pay cut’ for 95 per cent of UK households March 27, 2023 Legal & General’s Rebuilding Britain Index (RBI) found that 95 per cent of working UK households have experienced a real terms pay cut over the last 12-months as rising inflation makes its way felt into nearly all households. UK inflation has surpassed forecasts and stayed in the double digits and the rate of price increases [...]
Kwarteng stung: Mini budget chancellor offered to set up meeting between fake firm and Boris Johnson for ‘£10k’ March 27, 2023 Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng offered to facilitate setting up a meeting between a fake foreign firm and former prime minister Boris Johnson during a sting interview. Mr Kwarteng was caught up in a hoax organised by campaign group Led By Donkeys in which he was approached about providing political advice to a bogus company it [...]
UK recession still on the cards after aggressive Bank of England interest rate hikes March 27, 2023 A recession is still on the cards in the UK despite the economy performing much better than experts predicted just a few months ago, new forecasts out today project. Higher interest rates and households responding to the cost of living crunch gripping their finances by trimming spending is tipped to push GDP 0.3 per cent [...]
Bank of England hikes interest rates for eleventh time in a row to post financial crisis high of 4.25 per cent March 23, 2023 The Bank of England today hiked interest rates for the eleventh time in a row to a post-financial crisis of 4.25 per cent as it continues to lead the fight against the worst UK inflation crisis in four decades. Governor Andrew Bailey and his team of rate setters bumped borrowing costs 25 basis points higher, [...]
First Republic’s share price jumps nearly 50 per cent after Yellen indicates more protection for depositors March 21, 2023 First Republic Bank’s future looked increasingly secure on Tuesday as the possibility of further government support sparked a dramatic share price revival. Speaking to the American Bankers Association, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) could step in to guarantee all deposits, as it did with Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), [...]
Spring Budget 2023 – as it happened: Childcare costs, Brexit pub guarantee and plan for ’12 Canary Wharfs’ March 15, 2023 As Jeremy Hunt unveils his first full Spring Budget, we bring you all the latest news, opinion, analysis and reaction. Budget day – Live feed Support for parents with young children: Jeremy Hunt announced a series of reforms, starting “with the supply of childcare.” “We have seen a significant decline in childminders over recent years [...]
House price growth plummets to lowest level in a decade as confidence and costs see off buyers March 1, 2023 House price growth has plummeted to its lowest in more than a decade as a cocktail of high borrowing costs, inflation and low confidence has deterred buyers. Properties dropped in value by -1.1 per cent year on year in February, according to Nationwide’s House Price Index, down from 1.1 per cent the previous month. This [...]
Brits forced to cut £14,000 off house prices to achieve sale, new data reveals February 28, 2023 Brits are being forced to accept an average cut of £14,000 on the price of their homes to achieve a sale, according to new Zoopla HPI figures.