Families grow increasingly confident about UK dodging recession March 24, 2023 Families are increasingly confident the UK will dodge a recession this year in another sign the economy is performing better than feared than at the turn of the year, a closely watched survey out today indicates. UK consumer confidence jumped in March for the second month in a row, albeit up to a historically low [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index slips after of Bank of England interest rate hike March 23, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped lower today after the Bank of England’s hiked interest rates for the eleventh time in a row. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.89 per cent to just under 7,500 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, lost 0.15 per [...]
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, [...]
Ford admits it’s losing billions as heavy investment in electric puts brakes on profit March 23, 2023 Ford’s electric vehicle business has lost three billion US dollars (£2.44 billion) before taxes during the past two years and will lose a similar amount this year as the company invests heavily in the new technology. The figures were released on Thursday as Ford rolled out a new way of reporting financial results. The new [...]
Stop being TWaTs! Lloyd’s of London chief says City must drop ‘Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday world’ March 23, 2023 Lloyd’s of London chief John Neal has called for a move away from the “Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday world” in arguing there will always be times that people “have to be in every day of the week”. Speaking to City A.M., Neal called for a shift away from the “two days a week or three days [...]
US Federal Reserve presses on with interest rate hike amid banking chaos March 22, 2023 The US Federal Reserve today looked past the ongoing wobbles in the global banking system and hiked interest rates for the ninth time in a row, extending its aggressive fight against inflation. Chair Jerome Powell and the rest of the federal open market committee (FOMC) today bumped the world’s most important interest rate 25 basis [...]
FTSE 100 close: Inflation shock tames London index as investors brace for Fed decision March 22, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 nipped higher today despite investors betting the Bank of England will be forced to keep raising interest rates to tame higher than feared inflation. The capital’s premier index closed up 0.41 per cent at 7,566.84 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
Rishi Sunak’s Brexit deal passes despite 22 Tory MPs rebelling including Johnson, Patel, Truss and IDS March 22, 2023 MPs have voted in favour of regulations to implement the Stormont brake aspect of Rishi Sunak’s Windsor Framework Brexit deal by 515 votes to 29. The prime minister’s agreement with the EU on a revised plan for post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland (NI) was backed by a majority of 486 MPs in the House of [...]
UK inflation leaps to 10.4 per cent smashing Bank of England and City forecasts March 22, 2023 UK inflation has surpassed forecasts and stayed in the double digits, in a sign the Bank of England will need to keep hiking interest rates to tame prices, official figures out today reveal. The rate of price increases jumped to 10.4 per cent in February, up from 10.1 per cent in January, according to the [...]
Pubs are go: Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame shrugs off strikes and inflation in eight per cent revenue rise March 22, 2023 Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame has said consumer spending in the wake of the costs of living crisis has “remained strong” as the group posts strong revenues for the 26 weeks to December 2022. The listed pubs group, which operates around London and the South East, posted revenues of £85.3m up 8.4 per cent from [...]