Bank of England hints further interest rates are coming soon to bring down highest inflation in four decades May 20, 2022 As the British economy is hit by high levels of inflation, the Bank of England’s chief economist said today interest rates might need to rise further in the near future. Huw Pill said the 9 per cent inflation rate – the highest in 40 years – is a “very uncomfortable situation” for decision-makers at the [...]
Nationwide posts strongest results on record on the back of Britain’s booming property market May 20, 2022 The world’s biggest building society, Nationwide, today posted its strongest financial results on record on the back of Britain’s booming property market. The mortgage lender said its underlying profits had more than doubled from £790m for the financial year 2021 to £1,604bn for the financial year 2022. Nationwide said it had performed well across its [...]
If firms want to go green then we should give shareholders the keys to their plans May 20, 2022 WHILE the finance sector can feel distant and detached, people are waking up to the impact it can have on our environment. Which bank, building society, or investment fund we decide to deposit our savings, store our pensions, or pay our hard-earned salaries into can determine whether green projects and clean businesses are financed. That’s [...]
Cost of borrowing surges as overdraft rates hit record highs: Credit card fees back to the ’90s May 10, 2022 Data covering quoted household interest rates on consumer credit products released by the Bank of England this week reveal the rising cost of borrowing for UK households, With the Bank hiking interest rates by 0.25bp last Thursday and inflation expected to show a climb yet again for April, the fresh data demonstrates the difficult decisions [...]
Markets bracing for tough week: China trade slows as zero-Covid policy has disastrous impact on economy May 9, 2022 With China continuing to pursue its zero-Covid policy the restrictions in Shanghai are having a chilling effect on economic output there, as well as port activity, or rather the lack of it, as container ships continue to sit off the Chinese coast waiting to be unloaded. This morning’s China trade data for April only serves to reinforce [...]
Thanks, Bank of England: Households will pay £858m more in interest after yesterday’s rate rise May 6, 2022 With the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee confirming yesterday that its base rate will rise by 0.25 per cent to 1 per cent, UK households face an immediate increase in interest payments of around £858m. Analysis of Bank of England data shows UK households are currently paying £18.3bn annually in interest payments on floating rate [...]
The City View: Bank of England hike rates once more May 5, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Jack Barnett, City A.M.’s Economics and Markets reporter. Together they go through the thinking behind the Bank of England’s 25 basis point rate rise earlier today, which brought the UK’s interest rate to 1%. They take a look at the Bank’s forecasts, and explain why a recession is almost inevitable. [...]
Today’s interest rate hike may hit mortgage holders hard, warns IFS director ahead of BoE announcement May 5, 2022 Paul Johnson, director of the Institute For Fiscal Studies, warned this morning of the impact on people’s mortgages of an expected interest rates hike by the Bank of England on Thursday. “We are still at historically staggeringly low levels of interest rates,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme. “So you look at it that way [...]
Virgin Money UK reports profit boost thanks to rising interest rates and unsecured lending May 5, 2022 Virgin Money UK posted a boom compared to 2021 figures, with underlying profit increasing 58 per cent to £388m, reflecting stronger income.
UK mortgage debt swells to £7bn as interest rates rise May 4, 2022 Mortgage debt swelled in March, according to Bank of England data, with net borrowing climbing from £4.6bn to £7bn in March as interest rates rise. House purchase mortgage approvals slipped to 70.7k in March from 71.0k in February, slightly ahead of consensus but moving towards their 2015 to 2019 average of 66.5k – which analysts [...]