FTSE 100 close: Interest rate concerns linger as NatWest heads lower June 20, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 struggled for gains today as investors took a cautious approach before the Bank of England’s expected 13th straight interest rate rise on Thursday. The capital’s premier index shed 0.25 per cent to close at 7,569.30 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]
Bank of England risks steering UK into needless recession with more interest rate hikes June 20, 2023 Back in November, the Bank of England took the highly unusual step of explicitly telling financial markets to calm their sky high bets on where interest rates might end up. “Should the economy evolve broadly in line with the latest monetary policy report projections, further increases in bank rate may be required for a sustainable [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index slips ahead of Bank of England interest rate decision as Next jumps June 19, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today ahead of a huge week for the UK economy, pushed lower by a resurgent pound knocking sentiment toward Britain’s biggest companies. The capital’s premier index fell 0.71 per cent to 7,588.49 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]
Adam Smith 300: Adam Smith Institute founder Dr Eamonn Butler on how morality guided the father of economics June 19, 2023 Nobody changed the dismal science of economics quite like Adam Smith, the Scottish philosopher, author of The Wealth of Nations and The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and father of market economics. June marks the 300th anniversary of Smith’s baptism – nobody quite knows his actual birthday – and to mark the occasion, German historian and [...]
Bank of England to raise interest rates for 13th time in a row this week to tame persistent inflation June 19, 2023 The Bank of England is nailed on to raise interest rates for the thirteenth meeting in a row this Thursday, but markets think there’s an outside chance Governor Andrew Bailey and co will revert to an outsized rise to tame what is emerging as the worst inflation problem in the rich world. Markets reckon the [...]
Pubs closing at fastest pace in a decade as high interest rates and energy bills crush Britain’s boozers June 19, 2023 Pubs are closing at the quickest pace in a decade and experts have warned a further wave of failures are on the way, new research out today shows. Some 620 of Britain’s watering holes disappeared over the year to the end of March, a 68 per cent increase from the 369 failures in the same [...]
House prices drop for first time this year as Bank of England interest rate hikes take hold June 19, 2023 House prices have dropped for the first time this year, sparked by the property market being whacked by the Bank of England’s 12 successive interest rate hikes to quash inflation, new figures out today show. The average price of a home coming to market fell £82 over the last month to £372,812, the first drop [...]
UK inflation tipped to trim to lowest level in over a year as food prices begin to ease June 19, 2023 UK inflation is poised to recede to its lowest level in over a year, pushed lower by food and energy price rises easing, markets are betting. Fresh cost of living figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday will top investors’ minds in a busy week of data that will shape movements in [...]
FTSE 100 close: London index reverses losses as Bunzl struggles June 15, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged lower today by investors piling out of outsourcer Bunzl despite the firm this morning raising its revenue forecast before reversing losses in the afternoon session. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.34 per cent to 7,628.27 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health [...]
European Central Bank hikes rates 25 basis points to 2001 and hints at more to come June 15, 2023 The European Central Bank (ECB) today signed off what many thought would be its final interest rate rise, but lingering concerns about high inflation may lure the monetary authority into further increases, experts have bet. The monetary authority of the 20 countries using the euro sent borrowing costs up 25 basis points to 3.5 per [...]