U.S. jobs growth slows well below forecasts January 7, 2022 US jobs growth fell well below forecasts in December as rising COVID-19 infections disrupted economic activity, according to official data released today. The figure in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that the US economy added 199,000 jobs in December, after economists polled by Reuters had anticiapted a rise of 400,000. Unemployment levels [...]
Income of FTSE 100 executives passes median UK worker’s annual salary today despite CEO pay dropping to £2.7m January 7, 2022 New research shows this morning that the pay of top company executives will pass the median annual wage for a full-time worker by Friday morning, sparking outrage from unions. The High Pay Centre said that, by this morning, the median FTSE 100 chief executive (CEO) will have been paid the median UK worker’s annual salary. [...]
Growth in construction sector slows to lowest level since September as firms are hit by Omicron troubles January 7, 2022 Growth in the UK’s construction sector continued in December but slowed to its lowest since September as some firms were affected by rising Covid-19 cases. The closely followed IHS Markit/CIPS UK Construction purchasing managers’ index hit a reading of 54.3 last month, down from 55.5 in November. Any reading above 50 is seen as growth. [...]
Two CEO success stories should put nonsense comparison to bed January 7, 2022 Today marks what unions and one particular think tank term ‘high pay day.’ It’s the day at which an average FTSE 100 CEO has earned the equivalent of the whole-year earnings of the so-called average worker. As ever, the comparison is facile, the implication idiotic, and it is deserving of no more than these few [...]
Exclusive: British factories intend to face supply chain crisis head on in 2022 January 7, 2022 British factories intend to tackle the supply chain crisis that plagued the UK economy in 2021 head on this year, reveals a study shared exclusively with Morning Wire Devoting resources to improving supply chains is the top priority for 2022 for nearly two in three UK manufacturers, according to fresh research carried out by Digital [...]
Plan B blows UK economic recovery off course January 6, 2022 The imposition of Plan B in a bid to flush out a wave of Omicron cases whacked the British economy last month, reveals a closely watched survey released today. Brits were encouraged to work from home and limit socialising in December, igniting a mass exodus from city centres and high streets, dealing a heavy blow [...]
US Fed’s hawkish tilt pours cold water on global markets January 6, 2022 The sudden realisation that equity markets may not be propped up by ultra loose monetary policy for much longer after the US Federal Reserve released minutes highlighting the scale of its hawkish turn poured cold water on investors today. London’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.88 per cent lower at 7,450.37 points, while the mid-cap [...]
British firms intend to hike prices five per cent this year January 6, 2022 British businesses are laying the foundations to hike prices sharply this year as they scramble to survive amid soaring costs, reveal official figures published today. UK firms are intending to raise prices five per cent this year, according to the Bank of England’s survey of chief financial officers of British businesses. A toxic combination of [...]
Combination of Covid, Brexit and transition towards net-zero economy to end decades of declining ‘job churn’ in UK January 6, 2022 Decades of declining “job churn”, which has meant fewer risks and opportunities for workers, is likely to be upended in the decade ahead as the combination of Covid-19, Brexit and the transition towards a net-zero economy brings about major changes in the UK economy, according to a new report. In fact, the view that robots [...]
Which direction will the UK’s economic weather vane blow in 2022? January 6, 2022 It’s fair to say the last two years have been a turbulent one for the UK economy. The pandemic has upended working practices, supply chains and the monetary policy playbook. With the emergence of the Omicron variant leaving the spectre of coronavirus hanging over the country, it’s fair to say the British economy is not [...]