Water spending rebellion could cost households billions, says Citizens Advice October 30, 2020 Citizens Advice has waded into a row between the competition and water watchdogs over new spending rules for the country’s water companies. According to the charity, households could lose out on a combined £3.7bn across the next five years if the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) sticks with its decision to back a rebellion against [...]
Entrepreneurs don’t want Rishi’s restaurant handouts — they want to be allowed to do their jobs October 23, 2020 The Conversative Father Christmas — Rishi Sunak, to you and me — has visited once again. In a better-late-than-never display of magnanimity, the chancellor has finally realised that conditions in Tier 2 Covid areas — which now cover 26.7 million people — make operating impossible for thousands of businesses, particularly in the hospitality sector. Whereas [...]
UK inflation climbs to 0.5 per cent after Eat Out to Help Out scheme ends October 21, 2020 UK inflation climbed to 0.5 per cent last month as restaurants and cafes hiked their prices following the end of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The headline rate of inflation on the ONS consumer price index (CPI), which tracks the prices of goods and services, came in at 0.5 per cent in September, [...]
The answer to Britain’s housing crisis is more houses – not risky mortgages October 11, 2020 Housing experts were left scratching their heads this week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his flagship policy to get young people on the housing ladder: bigger mortgages. Johnson plans to turn “generation rent” into “generation buy” by offering long-term, fixed-rate mortgages of up to 95 per cent of the value of the home. He [...]
On World Homelessness Day, can impact investing help us build back better? October 10, 2020 There is no debating that we are looking down the barrel of a tough six months. An increase in the daily cases of Covid-19 means that the gradual loosening of restrictions has ground to a halt, and the threat of a return to a full lockdown ahead of the festive season will be the Sword [...]
In full: PM Boris Johnson’s Tory conference speech in full October 6, 2020 Boris Johnson took the stage Tuesday for the Tories’ virtual party conference, announcing policies on 1:1 teaching and low-deposit mortgages, but also promising to unleash the private sector. Here’s the text in full. Good morning conference, I want to begin by thanking you for everything you did at the election, pounding the streets in the [...]
5G rollout across Britain set to create 5,000 jobs October 5, 2020 Telecoms firms have pledged to create 5,000 new UK jobs through the rollout of 5G technology across Britain, marking a rare bright spot on the bleak jobs horizon during the pandemic. Liberty Global, which owns Virgin Media, and O2’s Spanish owner Telefonica, have announced plans to create 4,000 jobs and 1,000 apprenticeship roles in the [...]
FTSE 100 sinks ahead of Brexit talks and US presidential debate September 29, 2020 The FTSE 100 lost momentum today as rising coronavirus cases kept investor sentiment subdued ahead of the next round of Brexit negotiations and the first US presidential debate. The blue-chip index had slipped 0.72 per cent by lunchtime after following global stocks higher yesterday in a so-called relief rally. Read more: Hotel Chocolat swings to [...]
Could decarbonisation be the mega-trend of the next decade? September 28, 2020 US equities have led global stock markets higher over the past decade. In the last ten years, US equities have returned a stellar 292%, compared to just 73% for global equities (as measured by the MSCI USA Index and MSCI AC World ex US Index respectively, in US dollar terms, as at 31 August 2020). [...]
Musk says $25,000 Tesla ‘three years away’ as investors wipe off $50bn September 23, 2020 Tesla boss Elon Musk said last night that he expects a cheaper, fully autonomous Tesla model to be available “about three years from now”. However investor reaction to the company’s highly anticipated Battery Day was muted, leading Tesla’s market valuation to fall by around $50bn. “This has always been our dream to make an affordable [...]