Grocery prices cool as government drafts supermarket price cap May 30, 2023 Food inflation cooled slightly in May as lower energy and commodity costs finally showed signs of filtering down to consumers. According to data by the British Retail Consortium, grocery inflation fell to 15.4 per cent in during the month, down from 15.7 per cent in April – but remained the second highest inflation rate in [...]
FTSE 350 firms could face double the cost to offset carbon by 2030 May 30, 2023 The cost of carbon offsetting could more than double for businesses by the end of the decade, according to new research. A report published by PwC found that FTSE 350 companies reported £38m in voluntary carbon offset purchases in 2022, but that this could increase by over 256 per cent to £135m within a decade. [...]
Government to ‘encourage’ supermarkets to cap food prices May 28, 2023 Government plans to encourage supermarkets to impose price caps on food staples to help with the cost of living will have no “element of compulsion”, a Cabinet minister has said. Downing Street is understood to be drawing up proposals that would seek to get retailers charging the lowest possible amount for some basic products like [...]
Brits just want some space: Detached property sales outpace other housing May 27, 2023 Detached houses were the most popular type of property among existing homeowners moving home with a mortgage in the year to March, according to analysis of a lending giant’s data. Halifax said detached homes accounted for nearly a third (32%) of such sales, rising from a quarter (25%) a decade ago. While detached homes were [...]
More than a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine some firms still can’t – or won’t – quit Moscow May 25, 2023 Some global companies are still operating in Russia more than a year on from the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Firms were quick to respond to the full-scale war, which broke out last February, with some saying they would quit Russia immediately and others curtailing imports or new investment. Billions of pounds of factories, energy holdings [...]
Germany tips into recession and analysts warn economy won’t get much better May 25, 2023 Germany slipped into an official recession over the winter, triggered by family finances being crushed by sky high energy bills, official figures out today show. Revised estimates from the country’s statistics agency, Destatis, revealed gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.3 per cent in the first three months of this year. The organisation previously thought output [...]
Campaigners warn of little relief as Ofgem expected to lower price cap to £2,053 May 25, 2023 Ofgem is expected to lower household energy bills to an average of £2,053 a year from July to reflect tumbling wholesale prices, according to analysts. The regulator will announce its latest energy price cap on Thursday as campaigners warned consumers are likely to feel little relief with bills remaining well above pre-pandemic levels. Consultancy firm [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates to 5.5 per cent to tame scorching inflation May 24, 2023 The Bank of England will have to hike interest rates to a peak of 5.5 per cent to tame steaming inflation, threatening to push the UK economy back to the edge of recession, markets bet today after fresh numbers showed price pressures are withstanding rate rises. Upward moves in financial markets’ expectations for peak UK [...]
Inflation falls out of double digits to lowest level in a year but tops forecasts May 24, 2023 UK inflation has fallen into single digits but the price of food continues to spiral at the fastest rate in four decades.
Windfall taxes, like speeding fines, can’t be a plaster solution for losing tax revenue May 24, 2023 Speeding fines are effectively becoming a tax for councils, a way to raise revenues. But it's a short-term fix for a long-term problem exactly like windfall taxes, writes Paul Ormerod