Sunak under pressure to drop NI rise in wake of Ukraine invasion March 6, 2022 Rishi Sunak is under increased pressure to drop his 1.25 percentage points increase of National Insurance next month in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It is expected the war will lead to higher inflation than expected due to Europe’s large reliance on Russian gas and Ukrainian agricultural products, like wheat. Annual growth in [...]
Europe will struggle to cut Russia out of energy plans warn experts March 6, 2022 Europe will find it hard to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, and the continent remains vulnerable to skyrocketing prices, warns experts.
What impact will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have on oil and gas? March 4, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is first and foremost a human tragedy. As investors though, our role is to interpret the market implications on behalf of our clients. Here, we consider the impact of the invasion on oil and gas markets. Firstly, it’s important to understand how markets stood before the invasion. Global energy markets were [...]
As Russia triggers needless tragedy, we need to defend our global stability March 4, 2022 The lives lost so far in Putin’s pointless and tragic war are a terrible price for Ukraine, and innocent Russians. But the collateral damage of a land war in Europe will soon begin to spread far beyond razed Ukrainian villages and the flattened streets of Kharkiv. War costs billions every day. And the response – [...]
February retail sales perform well but warnings for mid-level retailers as living costs spike March 4, 2022 Purchases of clothes have driven retail sales growth, thanks to the easing of Covid restrictions. Total like-for-like sales swelled 49.6 per cent in February, according to the BDO’s February High Street Sales Tracker. This was from a base of minus 3.1 per cent in February 2021, when the country was in the throes of a [...]
Pubs face extra £800m in energy bills with bosses bracing for cocktail of hiked costs this spring March 3, 2022 Pubs have reported £800m in additional energy bills, with hospitality bosses warning suppliers are refusing to ink new contracts with venues. Firms have reported energy bills ballooning 150 per cent compared to pre-pandemic energy bills, with an average above 100 per cent. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said its members had reported that [...]
ONS: Nearly all Brits pinched by cost of living squeeze March 3, 2022 Almost all Brits are feeling the pinch of the cost of living squeeze, causing them to cut back on spending, reveals official figures released today. Over eight in 10 households have noticed an uptick in their cost of living, up five percentage points over the last week, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Oil prices storm to near decade highs before talk of Iran deal calms waters March 3, 2022 Oil prices hit near decade highs and closed in on $120 per barrel today, as buyers shun Russian crude amid intensifying fears of supply fears.
Commodities boom drives up the price of EV batteries March 3, 2022 Total battery costs for electric vehicles have more than doubled since the start of the year, according to Rystad Energy.
Retail recovery in ‘sweet spot’ last month as cost of living could discourage shoppers March 3, 2022 High street experts were pleasantly surprised at the robustness of retail footfall last month, but have warned the cost of living crunch may soon deter shoppers. Footfall strengthened a little in February over the month as a whole, to -20.7 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, from -20.8 per cent in January, according to retail experts [...]