Energy crunch chokes China economy October 18, 2021 China’s energy crunch choked economic growth as factories switch off production amid shortages and soaring energy costs. The world’s second largest economy grew 4.9 per cent in the last quarter compared to the same period last year, the slowest rate of expansion since the third quarter of last year. Third quarter growth came in below [...]
NatWest chief warns supply chain crisis curtails growth among army of small firms October 18, 2021 NatWest’s business banking boss has said the supply chain crisis is holding back growth among Britain’s army of small firms and warned over mounting problems if shortages persist. Andrew Harrison said poor availability of key goods and materials was “curtailing” growth in the sector, which comes at a vital time for small firms as they [...]
CFOs do not expect ‘double whammy’ of labour shortages and supply disruptions to ease before 2023 October 18, 2021 Finance leaders believe that the labour shortages and supply disruptions British businesses are experiencing now are likely to persist for a year, with no meaningful easing until late 2022 or more likely early 2023. The majority of CFOs experienced labour shortages over the past three months with three-quarters reporting some, severe or significant recruitment difficulties. [...]
Top finance brass bet on Bank of England rate hike October 18, 2021 The UK’s top finance brass are becoming increasingly confident the Bank of England will hike interest rates. Over half of chief financial officers (CFO) think rates will rise to at least 0.5 per cent by this time next year, research by Deloitte has found. Soaring inflation, driven by supply chains buckling under the weight of [...]
Top finance brass bet on Bank of England rate hike October 18, 2021 The UK’s top finance brass are becoming increasingly confident the Bank of England will hike interest rates. Over half of chief financial officers (CFO) think rates will rise to at least 0.5 per cent by this time next year, research by Deloitte has found. Higher interest rate expectations have strengthened over the last three months, [...]
Russia will look to ‘rescue’ UK in energy crisis October 17, 2021 Russia will try to “come to the rescue” of the UK amid rapidly rising energy costs, says the country’s ambassador Andrei Kelin. He told Andrew Marr that that if there is an “opportunity” to help the UK, then the country will “do what we can to alleviate difficult conditions which are now being created with [...]
Petrol prices 2p away from record high October 16, 2021 The pump price for a litre of petrol sold at UK forecourts has reached 140.22p, the highest since September 2012. Data from the RAC Fuel Watch showed that fuel prices – which have gone up 26p a litre in the last year – are two pence away from the record high of 140.24p per litre [...]
Make do and mend: Britain’s wartime mentality is back as spending nosedives October 15, 2021 As the UK continues to battle Covid-19 and a series of fuel, energy and distribution crises, households appear to be battening down the hatches in preparation for a post-pandemic Britain. The once popular wartime mantra, ‘Make do and Mend’, is once again making a revival as household spending begins to fall significantly. ONS data analysed [...]
As bills go up, we need to brace for a pretty chilly winter in the UK October 15, 2021 As usual, Destiny’s Child was right. Bills, bills, bills, as the iconic girl group put it, put friction into our relationships and left us acting dumb. This winter they’re going up. As inflation starts to bite we’re going to find it tougher to make ends meet. From groceries to energy, the cost of everything is [...]
Chancellor plays down hope of loans to struggling businesses October 14, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has dampened yesterday’s hopes that the government will rescue struggling businesses facing soaring energy prices. Without going into specifics, he said that he believes in a market economy and that it is “not the government’s job to come in and start managing the price of every individual product.” His comments to Sky [...]