UK borrowing surges to £13.5bn on energy price cap support November 22, 2022 UK borrowing surged over the last year due to the government partially covering the cost of household energy bills, official figures out today reveal. The UK’s debt pile swelled £13.5bn last month, up more than £4bn compared to October 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Although high, the figure was far below [...]
UK slumps to bottom of G7 economy league next year, OECD predicts November 22, 2022 The UK economy will languish behind its rich counterparts next year amid a tough inflation surge driven by worker shortages and an “untargeted” energy support package, a new report reveals. Britain’s economy will shrink 0.4 per cent next year, the worst performance of any country in the G7, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation [...]
FTSE 100 weighed down by China Covid-19 jitters November 21, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 was today weighed down by the re-emergence of tough restrictions to tame Covid-19 in China over the weekend. The capital’s premier index edged 0.12 per cent lower to 7,376.85 points, while the domestically-focus mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed 0.68 per cent [...]
Bitcoin tumbles below £13,500 as FTX turmoil continues November 21, 2022 Bitcoin has plunged below $16,000 (£13, 566) dollars today as investors flee to steadier ground amid turmoil sparked by the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.
Flip flopping over tax hikes and spending cuts a ‘bruising episode’ for UK November 21, 2022 Flip flopping on UK economic policy has been “a bruising episode” for the country over the past few months, a top City economist said today. The huge swing in tax and spending decisions between former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and the current number 11 incumbent Jeremy Hunt has damaged the country’s financial credibility, according to Neil Shearing, [...]
FCA warns trading firms over dangerous ‘gamification’ November 21, 2022 The UK’s financial watchdog has fired a warning shot at trading apps today over the so-called gamification of betting on the financial markets, amid fears unsophisticated investors are being lured in to bets against their own interest.
UK ‘can’t afford’ another decade of lost growth, CBI warn November 21, 2022 The UK “can’t afford a repeat” of its severe economic underperformance since the 2008 financial crisis, the chief of the country’s top business group will warn chancellor Jeremy Hunt today. Responding to last week’s autumn statement, Tony Danker, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), will slam the chancellor for failing to roll [...]
Hunt on course to miss fiscal targets despite £55bn of tightening, Deutsche Bank bet November 20, 2022 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is on course to miss his fiscal goals due to a weaker growth outlook than forecast by the UK’s budget watchdog, an investment bank has said. According to Sanjay Raja, senior economist at Deutsche Bank, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) GDP growth forecasts are too optimistic. Last week, the OBR said [...]
Public finances in view after Hunt’s £55bn of spending cuts and tax hikes November 20, 2022 Traders will be keen to examine fresh public finances figures out this week to get a sense of the UK’s debt pile that pushed chancellor Jeremy Hunt into £55bn of spending cuts and tax hikes last week. London’s premier FTSE 100 index registered a solid performance last week, adding 0.92 per cent to close at [...]
The Tory knives are out as Jacob Rees-Mogg calls Hunt’s Budget cuts ‘undeliverable’ November 18, 2022 The Chancellor’s spending cuts may prove “undeliverable” as Jeremy Hunt faces criticism from a range of senior Tories for raising taxes as he seeks to rebuild the UK’s battered public finances. Former business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg accused the Chancellor of taking the “easy option” in Thursday’s autumn statement rather than bearing down harder on public [...]