Labour squeeze shows no signs of easing ahead of Christmas shopping rush December 3, 2021 ]Shortages of workers stopping UK businesses from functioning normally show no signs of letting up over the busy Christmas period, according to fresh figures published today. In the last week alone, over 200,000 new job adverts were posted as retailers, pubs and restaurants push to ramp up staff levels in preparation for the festive shopping [...]
Sea of red on Wall Street bleeds into London markets December 2, 2021 A crash on Wall Street on Wednesday triggered by the chief of the US Federal Reserve signalling stimulus could be pulled earlier than expected bled into London markets yesterday. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.55 per cent lower at 7,129.21 points, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the [...]
Red hot property market makes Brits the richest they have ever been December 2, 2021 A booming property market triggered by a tax holiday and Brits demanding larger homes has made the UK the richest it has ever been. Household wealth in Britain swelled 8.4 per cent over the last year to £11.2 trillion, the highest it has ever been since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) started tracking the [...]
Bank of England to look through Omicron and hike rates this month December 2, 2021 The Bank of England will plough ahead and hike interest rates for the first time three years this month despite concerns the Omicron variant could whack the UK economy, according to City analysts. Strong booster jab take up and high levels of existing immunity stemming from the successful vaccination programme has put the British economy [...]
Bullish Omicron assessments boost global markets December 1, 2021 A string of bullish assessments from global health leaders downplaying the severity of the Omicron variant boosted global markets yesterday. Investors shook off concerns over the Covid-19 variant derailing the world’s fight against the pandemic and poured back into stocks. London’s premier FTSE 100 index shot up 1.55 per cent to close at 7,168.68 points [...]
US Fed chief Powell insists inflation will pull back despite casting doubt over central bank’s forecasts December 1, 2021 The chief of the US Federal Reserve today insisted price rises in America should pull back from a three-decade high in the middle of next year despite casting doubt over the central bank’s own inflation forecasts. Jerome Powell said the Fed expects inflation to fall “significantly” in the second half of next year, while in [...]
Long term shipping costs up 465 per cent amid supply chain crisis December 1, 2021 Industry experts have warned politicians that supply chain disruption is having a big impact on the costs of shipping contracts.
OECD hikes UK economy forecast propelling Britain to top of G7 table, but inflation set to bite December 1, 2021 The organisation overseeing the world’s richest economies hiked its forecasts for the UK economy this year and next year, propelling Britain to the top of the G7 rankings for growth. The UK economy will expand 6.9 per cent this year, 0.2 percentage points higher than previously expected, according to the Organisation for Economic Development’s (OECD) [...]
UK factories stung by ‘relentless’ cost hikes as supply chain crisis rumbles on December 1, 2021 UK factories are being stung by record cost increases as the supply chain crisis continues to drag on, according to a closely watched survey released today. Prices for raw materials and crucial inputs used by British manufacturers accelerated at the fastest pace since IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) started [...]
What are bull and bear markets? December 1, 2021 | City Talk TLDR Bull market 👍 Bear market 👎 The terms “bull” and “bear” can be used to describe the behaviour and condition of financial markets or individual assets, reflecting substantial trends of 20% either upwards or downwards respectively, typically over a sustained period of time. They are also terms that reflect the sentiment of investors. Investors being [...]