Bellway: How a spring uplift in the property market is giving housebuilder cause for optimism March 28, 2023 Bellway has said homebuyer demand has started to improve after seeing reservations plunge by nearly 50 per cent due to soaring mortgage rates. The housebuilder group, whose headquarters are in Newcastle, reported underlying pre-tax profits falling 4.6 per cent to £312.1 million for the six months to January 31. It delivered record revenues, up 1.6 [...]
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 [...]
UK household debt swells past £2 trillion for first time ever March 27, 2023 Family debt has swelled past £2 trillion for the first time ever in a sign Brits are whipping out their credit cards to fund spending amid the cost of living crunch, new research out today reveals. Household debt is now nearly the same size as the entire UK economy (£2.2 trillion) and has been pushed [...]
UK poised to have officially dodged recession last year as outlook brightens March 26, 2023 Britain is poised to have officially swerved a recession last year, the country’s statistics agency is expected to confirm this week. New final numbers outlining economic growth in the final three months of 2022 are likely to hold steady at zero per cent, meaning the UK narrowly dodged the official recession definition of two consecutive [...]
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, [...]
Why HAVE savers missed out on interest rate rises? MPs accuse banks of ‘profiting’ in failing to pass on savings hike March 22, 2023 MPs suggested banks were earning “disproportionate profits” by failing to pass on interest rates rises to savings accounts. In a letter to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Treasury Committee also asked whether banks were earning “disproportionate profits” by “increasing rates on mortgages far quicker than rates on savings products”. Earlier this month, the chair [...]
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), [...]