Tighter interest rates and inflation clobber UK business confidence August 1, 2023 Higher interest rates and elevated prices have thrown a wet blanket over UK business optimism, according to surveys out today. Confidence as measured by the lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD) was largely unchanged last month at minus 30 points, up marginally from June’s minus 31 point reading. It solidifies signs that pessimism is [...]
Food inflation slumps to lowest level this year but experts caution against declaring victory yet August 1, 2023 Food inflation has slipped to its lowest level this year and has fallen for the third month in a row, an encouraging signal that suggests the UK is through the worst of the cost of living crisis, a new survey out today shows. The cost of groceries climbed 13.4 per cent over the year to [...]
The Notebook: Ian Whittaker on S4’s bad luck, a surprising election forecast and the unbeatable pull of strong brands August 1, 2023 Where the City’s movers and shakers get some things off their chest. Today it’s Ian Whittaker, founder of Liberty Sky Advisors S4’s latest woes are down to bad luck, not bad judgement The Q2 results season is in full swing and, so far, it is fair to describe the season as better than expected. The [...]
The tide is finally turning on working from home – and so is the evidence August 1, 2023 It’s an open secret. We all work a little less hard when we work from home. Anecdotally, we’ve all heard someone quip, “it’s alright, I’m working from home tomorrow”, as they make a beeline for the bar to order the fourth round of drinks during a midweek evening pub session. But now there’s a new [...]
Banks and watchdog exploring expanding open banking to savings accounts to boost competition August 1, 2023 Banks have committed to explore the expansion of open banking into the savings market, the City watchdog revealed yesterday. In its report on the savings market, the regulator confirmed that banks and building societies have committed to explore how investment in open banking can be used to support savings customers. This includes carrying out a [...]
London commuters are our ‘most important’ e-bike users, says Lime boss July 31, 2023 London’s commuters are our “most important” riders, the CEO of the e-bike operator Lime has said. Speaking to Morning Wire Wayne Ting, Lime’s chief said that “commuting is the most important use case” for the popular vehicles as demand soars in the capital. Lime has seen a 10 per cent monthly increase in riders in [...]
Review: The Great Scotland Yard hotel is the Westminster hotel combining novelty and comfort July 31, 2023 Victorian police paraphernalia, like old truncheons and hats, on display next to interesting illustrations of life in prison, drawn by current inmates. This is the interesting vibe in the lobby of the The Great Scotland Yard hotel, which was formerly a police headquarters. The atmosphere is an intriguing mix of novelty and comfort. First off, [...]
Former top Wandisco execs pressured to return £650,000 in bonuses July 31, 2023 Former executives of Wandisco are facing demands to return nearly £650,000 in bonuses received before the software company was embroiled in an accounting scandal earlier this year. Wandisco’s board has written to both David Richards, the firm’s co-founder and former boss, and Erik Miller, ex-finance chief, asking them to their last bonus payments, amounting to [...]
Electric vehicle charging roll-out slowed by local authority delays, research shows July 31, 2023 The roll-out of electric vehicle charge points has been slowed by delays at the local authority level and is currently set to fall well short of government targets, new research has found. FOI data obtained by the law firm RPC shows 8,000 chargers were installed by local authorities in the UK over the last year, [...]
UK audit watchdog picks former aviation regulator as new chief July 31, 2023 Richard Moriarty has been appointed chief executive of the audit regulator, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), as it undergoes major reforms. Moriarty, who most recently served as chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority for five years, will take up his role at the beginning of October. Sarah Rapson will take the role of acting [...]