UK businesses optimistic about exports despite ongoing Brexit trouble October 31, 2022 UK businesses are optimistic about their future exports despite grappling with trade disruption caused by Brexit, a new report out today reveals. Some 42 per cent of firms expect their exports to grow over the next year, according to a survey by business lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD). A series of free trade [...]
Soaring interest rates could spark five per cent London house price fall October 31, 2022 Soaring interest rates and a tough cost of living crisis could send London house prices on a downward spiral, new research published today warns. Home prices in the capital are on course to shed five per cent next year, driven by sellers dropping prices to attract buyers hit by an affordability crunch, according to property [...]
Week ahead: Bank of England to rock markets with 75bps rate hike October 30, 2022 Markets are preparing for a steep rate hike by the Bank of England on Thursday, but not as bad as first feared after former prime minister Liz Truss’s tax cutting mini-budget last month. London’s premier FTSE 100 index posted a decent performance last week, adding 1.12 per cent to close at 7,047.67 points, while the [...]
Weekend read: Volatile month in UK gilt market turns the Old Lady into a hawk October 29, 2022 As October is coming to a close, it’s been a rollercoaster month for the UK’s financial market. Following the bungled mini-budget on 23 September that sent equities spiralling, the pound plummeted to an all-time low against the dollar and bond yields soaring higher. In the first few days following Kwasi Kwarteng’s announcement of the mini-budget, [...]
Government debt continues to balloon as Rishi Sunak promises stability October 28, 2022 Government debt ballooned in the second quarter of this year, making up 101.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). New figures released by the ONS show that gross debt was £2,436.7bn between April and June in the UK. At 101.9 per cent of GDP, this puts the UK 15.5 percentage points above the EU [...]
Ex Chancellor Hammond criticises Sunak for sluggishness on Crypto October 28, 2022 Former Tory Chancellor Lord Philip Hammond has criticised Rishi Sunak for sluggishness on Crypto regulation. Theresa May’s money man hit out at Boris Johnson’s former chancellor calling on him to turn Britain in to a world leader in Crypto. Speaking to FN, he said he was a “little disappointed” the UK was so “far behind” [...]
Shell backlash shows no profit is safe in windfall tax-crazed Britain October 27, 2022 Another windfall tax after Shell profits? Britain is at risk of becoming uninvestable Pity the folks in Shell’s communications department, who must be tempted to wear bullet-proof armour whenever they send out a trading update. Yesterday’s numbers were impressive, as you’d expect when energy prices are inflated. They also avoided paying any of Rishi Sunak’s [...]
Fed pivot hopes fade after US economy returns to strong growth October 27, 2022 The US economy has surprisingly shaken off a series of steep rate rises, indicating the Federal Reserve’s campaign to tame historic high inflation is not over yet, new figures out today reveal. Gross domestic product (GDP) across the pond climbed 2.6 per cent last quarter, swinging from a 0.6 per cent contraction in the three [...]
ECB fires second successive jumbo rate hike in push to end Europe’s cheap money addiction October 27, 2022 The European Central Bank (ECB) today fired its second jumbo rate hike in a row in another sign that it is putting years of ultra-cheap money to the sword. The central bank that oversees the financial system of the 19 countries using the euro lifted borrowing costs 75 basis points to 1.5 per cent as [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by banks and pound strengthens on Sunak’s second day in No 10 October 26, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was dragged down today by investors ditching shares in the UK’s largest banks despite a strong set of results, but managed to squeeze gains thanks to a late rally. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.61 per cent to over the 7,000 mark points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is [...]