Happening today: All you need to know as the Bank of England set to raise rates again June 22, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to raise interest rates for the 13th time in a row after disappointing inflation figures showed price rises have not eased. The UK’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) was unchanged in May at a rate of 8.7 per cent , according to the Office for National Statistics. It came in [...]
The government cannot – and should not – intervene after every mishap June 22, 2023 Calls for some kind of mortgage relief are understandable. The hit to some homeowners, dealing with rapidly increased monthly payments, will be significant. But the government is absolutely right to resist the easy way out of bunging a few quid at mortgage-holders to make the problem go away, and ease their election woes. Britain has [...]
Labour’s plan to force banks to help on mortgages branded ‘risky’ and ‘counterproductive’ June 22, 2023 Labour’s plans to force banks to help struggling borrowers with their mortgages have been slammed as “risky” and “counterproductive”. The party says lenders should be compelled to help mortgage holders struggling with payments in a bid to avert a looming mortgage crisis as interest rates are expected to keep rising to bring inflation down. Shadow [...]
Does raising interest rates actually bring down inflation? June 22, 2023 Britain’s inflation problem is looking much harder to solve than first thought. Numbers out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday revealed the rate of price increases was unchanged in May at 8.7 per cent. The City thought it would slim to 8.4 per cent. Core inflation – the best barometer of underlying price [...]
Shares in UK housebuilders slump as inflation woes increase prospect of rate hikes June 21, 2023 Shares in some of the UK’s biggest housebuilders closed down today after Berkeley Group warned that its sales could fall by up to 20 per cent as rising mortgage rates rock the housing market. Berkeley’s share price fell around 3 per cent this morning following its announcement, but recovered slightly closing down 1.56 per cent. [...]
UK inflation smashes forecasts again raising chances of larger Bank of England interest rate hike June 21, 2023 UK inflation is still outpacing experts’ predictions and is running at a level that could lure the Bank of England into an outsized interest rate hike tomorrow, heaping more pain on families and businesses. Official figures out this morning from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the rate of price hikes held steady at [...]
PMQs sketch: Nothing’s funny about the economy, stupid June 21, 2023 Of course Rishi Sunak can’t bail out mortgage holders, but he doesn’t want to hear about it.
Revealed: The London constituencies that will be worst hit by mortgage rate rises June 21, 2023 Mortgage holders in London and the Southeast are set to be the worst hit by the “crippling” mortgage rate rises on the horizon, new data shows. The top twenty areas of the country set to see the highest increase in their mortgage repayments increase are concentrated around the capital and the commuter belt, according to [...]
Housing market a ‘ticking time bomb’ as prices slow amid mortgage mayhem June 21, 2023 The housing market has slowed amid the mortgage crisis, with experts warning it is like a “ticking time bomb” before it crashes. This morning’s House Price Index from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show average UK house prices increased 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to April 2023, but this was down from [...]
FTSE 100 close: London’s markets close in the red after inflation shock sends shivers through market June 21, 2023 London’s indexes closed in the red on Wednesday after yet another higher than expected inflation reading earlier this morning. The FTSE 100 closed 0.1 per cent lower at 7,559.18 while the FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, sunk 0.9 per cent to 18,571.45. Official figures out this morning [...]