British Gas owner Centrica to axe 700 management jobs in UK June 19, 2019 British Gas owner Centrica has confirmed it will slash up to 700 management and back office roles in the UK as part of a previously announced wave of job cuts. The latest losses will count towards the 4,000 job cuts figure announced in February 2018, which Centrica intends to complete by 2020. Read more: British [...]
Nationalising the Big Six could leave British pensioners out of pocket June 18, 2019 A trade union plan to nationalise the UK’s biggest energy suppliers could favour foreign investors to the detriment of British pensioners, a city lawyer has warned. Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party, which has pledged widespread nationalisation of the energy industry, welcomed the proposal from the Unison, one of Britain’s largest trade unions, to bring the Big [...]
US inflation tepid ahead of Fed rates decision June 12, 2019 US consumer price inflation slowed in May, official data revealed today, in news that could add to pressure on the country’s central bank to cut interest rates. Read more: Trump attacks euro and repeats criticism of Fed The consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.8 per cent in May compared to a year earlier, down from [...]
British public’s inflation expectations hit 10-year high June 7, 2019 The British public’s expectations for inflation over the next five years has risen to the highest level in more than a decade. The Bank of England’s quarterly survey showed that the public’s average inflation expectations in five years has risen to 3.8 per cent, compared to 3.4 per cent in February. But short-term expectations over [...]
UK economy ‘close to stagnation’ despite service sector growth June 5, 2019 The UK service sector beat analysts’ expectations to reach a three-month high in May, according to survey data released today by IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (Cips). Read more: UK manufacturing sector shrinks to 34-month low Nevertheless, IHS Markit said the UK economy is “close to stagnation” as Brexit and [...]
United Utilities profits rise as it worries over ‘uncertainty’ of Corbyn’s nationalisation May 23, 2019 United Utilities said the prospect of nationalisation was causing uncertainty in the water sector as it pushed its work to help customers this morning. The figures Revenue at the listed water company grew 4.8 per cent to £1.8bn in the year ending March, the firm revealed today. Read more: Severn Trent chairman to step down [...]
UK inflation rises above two per cent target as energy costs increase May 22, 2019 The UK’s core inflation rate climbed to 2.1 per cent in April, as rising energy costs pushed up by the higher Ofgem price cap fed into dearer prices in the economy, official statistics have revealed. Read more: UK economy bounces back, but is growth just a ‘flash in the pan’? Traditionally, inflation above the Bank [...]
Energy switching reaches record high as customers’ bills balloon May 20, 2019 Nationalising the UK’s energy infrastructure will jeopardise the country’s energy transition and could drive up prices, the head of the sector’s trade body has said as record numbers of households switched suppliers last month. More customers switched energy supplier in April than ever before after average bills leapt up by £117 for millions of customers [...]
Block Energy raises £12m to fund better than expected new well May 16, 2019 Block Energy today completed a £12m fundraise this morning after the company found it needed more money to explore a well which proved much more fruitful than first thought. The Aim-listed oil explorer said it had placed around 109m new shares at 11p each, a discount of nearly 16 per cent on yesterday’s closing price. Read [...]
British Gas owner Centrica’s shareholders say yes to chief executive’s £740,000 pay rise in ‘challenging’ conditions May 13, 2019 Shareholders expecting their dividends to be slashed this year clubbed through a 44 per cent pay rise for Centrica’s chief executive today despite company’s disappointing performance. Conn has overseen a two-thirds drop in share prices, to a 20-year low, since stepping into the role while the British Gas owner is haemorrhaging customers to other suppliers. [...]