Exclusive: Brits turn to buy-now pay-later to fund spending amid cost of living crisis February 9, 2023 Brits are turning to buy-now pay-later products to fund online spending amid a cost of living squeeze that is eroding their disposable income rapidly, exclusive research shared with Morning Wire reveals. Nearly £1 in every £8 spent online last month was sourced from buy-now pay-later providers, according to research by Adobe Analytics. The proportion is [...]
CBI: Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak must use budget to prevent recession and bolster UK economy February 9, 2023 Jeremy Hunt and Rishi Sunak need to use the spring budget to stimulate growth to prevent the UK tipping into a recession this year, the country’s biggest business group has urged today. The chancellor and prime minister should at the 15 March statement soothe the impact of a sharp rise in the UK’s profit tax [...]
House prices and sales fell in January as buyer inquiries dropped February 9, 2023 House prices are starting to reflect the shift in demand in the market, according to surveyors. Agreed sales, house prices and new instructions to sell homes remained on a downward trend in January, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said. Property professionals’ expectations suggest this picture is likely to remain in place for a [...]
FTSE 100 close: BP propels London index to record high as UK set to swerve recession February 8, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 pumped to a record intraday high today led higher by oil giant BP and investors globally cheering signs that central banks are nearing the end of their interest rate rises. The premier index hit its record intraday high of a shade over 7,925 points at the open in the City today. It [...]
Ashmore profits plunge by half to £53.8m as spooked investors pull out of emerging markets February 8, 2023 Ashmore’s profits plunged during the first six months of its financial year, with the emerging markets asset manager blaming extreme market turbulence for investors’ decision to pull their cash. The London-listed asset manager notched up pre-tax profits of £53.8m in the six months to the end of December, a fall of 54 per cent on [...]
Businesses trim hiring ahead of possible UK recession but experts cheer swelling vacancies February 8, 2023 Businesses are reining in hiring ahead of an economic slowdown that could tip the UK into recession, a closely watched survey out today shows. Permanent hires fell for the fourth month in a row last month, with KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) permanent placement index coming in below the 50 point growth [...]
UK to narrowly avoid recession but cost of living crisis will leave families £4,000 worse off February 8, 2023 The UK is poised to narrowly avoid a recession but the cost of living crisis will still leave average Brits £4,000 worse off this year, fresh forecasts out today reveal. Britain’s economy is set to squeeze out 0.2 per cent of GDP growth in 2023, meaning it will just about swerve a technical reversal, two [...]
FTSE 100 close: BP propels London index higher after posting record £23bn profit February 7, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 was boosted by investors piling into oil giant BP , which announced its highest ever full year profits of £23bn last year. The capital’s premier index jumped 0.36 per cent to close at 7,864.72 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK [...]
House prices are poised to slide in 2023 but straight into the hands of the lucky few February 7, 2023 There’s a pretty wild variety of house price predictions doing the rounds. Capital Economics have forecast they could fall 12 per cent, while experts at property search site Zoopla are a bit more optimistic. The consensus seems to be somewhere around a six per cent fall in 2023. One thing is certain: house prices are [...]
Liz Truss admits £45bn mini budget would have been scaled back if Bank of England warned on LDI crunch February 6, 2023 Former prime minister Liz Truss has today admitted her calamitous mini-budget could have scaled back had she known about the existence of LDIs. Truss admitted in an interview with Spectator TV that she “didn’t know the existence” of LDIs – liability driven investment vehicles – which sparked a near fire sale in the pension market [...]