FTSE 100 close: Miners lift London’s premier index despite high wage growth sending rate fears spiralling June 13, 2023 Commodity giants lifted London’s main indexes on Tuesday despite concerns that the Bank of England will have to hike rates higher and faster on the back of the latest labour market figures. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.3 per cent to 7,594.78 points, although the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with [...]
Bank of England ratesetter: Mortgage pain will affect our decision on interest rates June 13, 2023 The Bank of England’s decision on the interest rate will be shaped by the severity of the coming mortgage shock on households, according to one Threadneedle Street ratesetter. Catherine Mann, who sits on the Bank’s monetary policy committee, said that households had been “very resilient” in the face of inflation so far but said there are [...]
Bank of England policymaker warns further interest rate hikes ‘cannot be ruled out’ June 12, 2023 Further interest rate rises “cannot be ruled out” amid decades-high inflation in the UK, a Bank of England policymaker said. Jonathan Haskel, writing in The Scotsman, spoke of the “difficult judgments” the Bank has to make to bring inflation down to its two per cent target. The economist, an external member of the seven-person Monetary [...]
London homeowners face ‘grim’ mortgage cost hike of £7,300 if Bank raises rates again June 12, 2023 London homeowners looking to renegotiate their mortgage this year face a whopping £7,300 rise in annual costs as experts warn of the “grim reality” of rising interest rates. The Bank of England is predicted to hike interest rates for the 13th consecutive time this year to 5.5 per cent in efforts to cool soaring inflation, [...]
Political pressure builds on banks to close gap between savings and mortgage rates June 12, 2023 Banks have been shortchanging customers for nearly a year with the average mortgage rates exceeding savings rates by over three per cent since last July. According to data from Moneyfacts, at the end of last week the average rate on offer for a two year mortgage was 5.87. The average rate on a savings account [...]
Cabinet minister claims politics has ‘moved on’ from Boris Johnson June 11, 2023 Politics has “moved on” from the drama of Boris Johnson, a senior cabinet minister has claimed amid a row over the former prime minister’s resignation as an MP and honours list. Energy secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that while former London mayor Johnson possessed “many qualities”, No 10 was under [...]
Wall Street: US stocks inch higher before next week’s busy slate of updates June 10, 2023 US stocks inched higher on Friday to close a listless week for Wall Street, as investors wait for next week’s slate of potentially market-moving updates. The S&P 500 rose 4.93, or 0.1 per cent , to 4,298.86 to cap its fourth straight winning week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 43.17, or 0.1 per cent [...]
Why did HSBC withdraw mortgage deals for new borrowers? June 9, 2023 HSBC has temporarily withdrawn mortgage deals for new borrowers as the turbulence that has engulfed the UK mortgage market over the past few weeks continued. The bank removed products for new residential and buy-to-let products on Thursday, with new more expensive deals becoming available on Monday. HSBC had originally set a deadline of 5pm on [...]
Wall Street: Bulls run again as S&P 500 climbs 20 per cent above October low June 9, 2023 Stocks rose just enough for Wall Street to barrel into a new bull market on Thursday as the S&P 500 keeps rallying off its low from last autumn. The index rose 0.6 per cent to carry it 20 per cent above a bottom hit in October. That means Wall Street’s main measure of health has [...]
MPs pile pressure on banks as savings offers lag interest rate hikes June 8, 2023 MPs said that lenders must “up their game” and pass on higher rates to savers as bank bosses responded to an inquiry on the “measly” rates on offer. The influential Treasury Committee pointed to low rates on offer for easy access accounts across the UK’s ‘scale challengers’, Nationwide, TSB, Virgin Money and Santander. According to [...]