Red hot jobs market strengthens BoE rate hike bets October 12, 2021 A rebound in the UK jobs market back to pre-pandemic health is strengthening bets on the Bank of England hiking interest rates this year. The number of payrolled employees climbed more than 200,000 over the last month, jumping to 29.2m in September, above its pre-pandemic level, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The [...]
Looming cost of living crisis pinches Brits’ confidence in finances October 12, 2021 The spectre of inflation is acutely impacing Brits’ confidence in the health of their finances. Nine in 10 households are worried about their finances, found research by Barclaycard. Brits across the country are facing a severe cost of living crisis caused by soaring energy prices, wider inflation and looming tax hikes, which is weighing down [...]
Oil prices continue to rise amid energy crisis October 11, 2021 Oil prices passed $84 a barrel last night as Brent Crude’s rally entered a new week. This is oil’s highest valuation on the UK-based index since March last year. The resurgence in oil prices has been boosted by a global shortage of gas and spiralling energy costs. It has resulted in oil stocks gaining 37 [...]
Energy crisis: Treasury mulling over emergency cash request for industrial firms October 11, 2021 The Treasury is now considering a formal emergency funding request to help bailout industrial firms struggling with energy price rises in what appears to be an end to a cabinet row. The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) today submitted a formal funding request to Rishi Sunak’s department, after the Treasury yesterday said [...]
Energy crisis: Industry chiefs turn up heat on ministers to provide more support October 11, 2021 Heavy industry bosses have piled pressure on the government this morning to provide emergency cash to manufacturers struggling to cope with surging energy costs. Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng yesterday said he was in talks with Treasury to provide emergency funding to heavy industry firms, however the claim was quickly slapped down by anonymous sources at [...]
On a charge or out of juice – can EV charging infrastructure keep up with demand? October 11, 2021 One of the most notable trends of the past 18 months has been soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs). This is particularly the case in Europe, where the share of EVs as a percentage of overall car registrations has grown to almost 10% (chart 1). Other geographies are also now showing renewed signs of strength, [...]
UK business output falls to lowest level since lockdown October 10, 2021 Business output has shrunk to its lowest level of growth since the reopening of the economy as staff shortages and supply chain disruptions battered productivity last month. The closely-watched BDO Output Index suggests a slowdown across both manufacturing and services, falling more than five index points month-on-month to 100.69, effectively indicating average trend growth just [...]
Energy crisis: Kwasi Kwarteng rows with Treasury over heavy industry bailout talks October 10, 2021 Kwasi Kwarteng has been slapped down by the Treasury over emergency funding for struggling industrial firms, with the business and energy secretary accused of “making things up”. Kwarteng said he was speaking with the Treasury about a solution to help struggling manufacturers that are on the brink, however the Treasury has anonymously briefed to Sky [...]
Raise interest rates now to stem inflation, warns John Major’s chancellor Lord Lamont October 9, 2021 A former Tory chancellor has called for an increase in interest rates as he wanred about the risks surrounding inflation. The Government’s policy of calling for wages to go up could further drive inflation if the boost is not accompanied by increased productivity, Lord Lamont said today. Amid soaring energy prices and shortages of workers [...]
PM appoints former Tesco boss Dave Lewis as supply chain adviser October 9, 2021 The government has appointed the former boss of Tesco, Sir Dave Lewis, to help fix supply chain issues which are leaving UK supermarket shelves bare. Lewis, who stepped down from the helm of the supermarket giant in September, will become the government’s supply chain adviser after it was revealed one in six adults have been [...]