Ofgem turns up the heat on UK Energy Incubator Hub amid industry crackdown June 18, 2022 Ofgem has demanded troubled supplier UK Energy Incubator Hub hand over information on financial stress testing and management control.
Bank of England hikes rates for fifth time in a row and warns of 11 per cent inflation surge June 16, 2022 The Bank of England today hiked interest rates for the fifth time in a row for the first time since it was given control of monetary policy a quarter of a century ago as it pushes to cool the highest rise in living costs for a generation. A majority of the Bank’s nine rate setters, [...]
Use windfall tax to improve energy efficiency of British homes, argues climate charity Ashden June 16, 2022 The government should funnel revenues from the windfall tax into making the UK's housing stock more energy efficient, says Ashden.
Q&A: Are we heading towards a commodity super-cycle? June 15, 2022 Commodities have achieved strong price gains recently, prompting speculation that we could be in the early stages of a so-called super-cycle; a sustained period of growing demand exceeding supply. Global commodity prices have moved higher in the past few months, partly due to geopolitical issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A mismatch of demand [...]
Warnings of a profit crisis for retailers as margins shrink in the past decade June 14, 2022 Retail profit margins will plunge to 5.1 per cent in 2022, the lowest level in a decade. Excluding the initial impact of the Covid 19 pandemic and related shop closures, profit margins will drop to the lowest level in a decade, down from 8.3 per cent in 2021. Some 57 per cent of UK consumers [...]
Bellway and Crest Nicholson shares soar as record property prices boost housebuilders June 14, 2022 Shares in Bellway and Crest Nicholson have risen this afternoon, following upbeat trading updates which signal that record house prices are filling the pockets of housebuilders. Developer Bellway has seen its sales reservations continue to climb past their pandemic heights, as demand shows little sign of slowing. The London-listed real estate firm, whose shares rose [...]
Brits’ living standards drop at quickest pace in over a decade June 14, 2022 Brits’ living standards are falling at the fastest pace in over a decade caused by historically high inflation outstripping pay, reveals official figures published today. Take home pay, accounting for price rises, dropped 2.2 per cent over the three months to April, the steepest fall since 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Inflation and recession concoction sends global markets into the mire June 13, 2022 Mounting fears over the worst inflation crunch in recent history plunging the global economy into reverse sent the world’s biggest stock markets spiralling today. London’s FTSE 100 index slid 1.53 per cent, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, shed 2.61 per cent. Investors have [...]
Unexpected economic reversal indicates UK is ‘perilously close to a recession’ June 13, 2022 An unexpected reversal in the UK economy indicates the country is “perilously close to a recession,” according to City economists. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the UK fell 0.3 per cent in April, marking the second month in a row the economy has shrunk, according to figures published today by the Office for National Statistics [...]
Biden hits out at Big Oil’s record profits as White House fails to tame inflation June 12, 2022 US President Joe Biden called on ExxonMobil to drill for more oil and pay higher taxes in a stunning broadside on the US oil industry.