BoE keeps rates steady and dampens expectations of imminent change March 18, 2021 The Bank of England has held interest rates at 0.1 per cent and its bond-buying programme at £895bn, thereby diminishing expectations of changes in the immediate future, with the next announcement not until 6 May. The BoE’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep rates at record-low levels. Analysts expected today’s decisions to be [...]
Hidden cuts in Rishi Sunak’s Budget to deliver ‘second austerity’, says IFS March 18, 2021 Rishi Sunak’s Budget is set to cause a “second, sharp dose of austerity” thanks to £4bn of hidden cuts, according to new analysis by a leading economic think tank. The Institute for Fiscal Studies today said there were extensive public service cuts buried in the Budget, which will see funding for the Home Office, HM [...]
Analysts: Inflation in focus as BoE delivers monetary policy verdict March 18, 2021 The Bank of England is expected to focus on inflation when it publishes its latest monetary policy decisions at noon, according to analysts. Barret Kupelian, senior economist at PwC, said that vaccine rollouts, GDP data and positive Budget measures will “tilt the balance of risks to the UK economy towards the upside”. “As a result, [...]
Bulls in control after dovish Fed as attention shifts to Bank of England today March 18, 2021 European stock markets had a dull session yesterday as traders played it safe ahead of the closely-watched Fed update. Rates were kept on hold, meeting forecasts. The economy is now projected to grow by 6.5 per cent in 2021, up from the 4.2 per cent forecast issued three months ago. David Madden, market analyst at [...]
UK businesses look for international trading opportunities post-Brexit March 17, 2021 Britain’s vaccine rollout has triggered a wave of optimism among businesses as they look to new growth opportunities after the pandemic but Brexit concerns still linger. Business confidence is now at its highest level since the summer of 2018 as the government steps up its efforts to vaccinate the adult population by the summer. While [...]
Before the Bell: The Fed will give its latest policy verdict today March 17, 2021 There have been growing concerns that the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is linked to blood clots, which is why several European countries have halted distributing the vaccination. Multiple governments have taken the decision to suspend the rolling out of the vaccine but at the same time, the WHO and the European Medicines Agency support the vaccine. European [...]
On-demand pay: is it here to stay? March 16, 2021 | City Talk Millions around the globe depend on regular salaries and plan their budgets based on paydays. But the lockdown has made personal budgeting much more challenging. Many workers have lost their job and many others are now working remotely. Compounding near universal worries about future and immediate financial security are the added stress and logistical challenges [...]
Global growth narrative set to shift as pre-pandemic legacy issues resurface March 16, 2021 You may have missed what happened in the US and China over the past week but two major events took place in the world’s two largest economies that have the potential to directly impact us here in the UK. The first is the passage of President Biden’s $1.9trn stimulus bill in the US. The second [...]
Covid-19: Forget the fashion pages, the ONS inflation basket tells us pandemic shopping trends March 15, 2021 Covid 19: Forget the fashion pages, the ONS inflation basket tells us pandemic shopping trends
Bailey gives cautious endorsement of ‘coiled spring’ recovery and dampens inflation fears March 15, 2021 The Governor of the Bank of England has backed the economy to recover this year and cautiously endorsed his Chief Economist Andy Haldane’s prediction of a “coiled spring” recovery. Andrew Bailey told the BBC this morning that though current Bank forecasts predict a gradual recovery, there were welcome “risks to the upside.” Haldane has said [...]