London’s FTSE 100 drops after second big Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 plunged today after the Bank of England lifted interest rates 50 basis points for the second time in a row. The capital’s premier index fell 1.08 per cent to 7,159.52 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, tumbled 2.05 per [...]
Ka-Ching! Brits pay instantly £1.65bn more in interest after today’s Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 With the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee confirming its base rate will rise by 0.5 per cent to 2.25 per cent, UK households face an immediate increase in interest payments of £1.65bn. Analysis of Bank of England data shows UK households are currently paying £20.25bn annually in interest payments on floating rate debt that are [...]
Bank of England shirks historic rate hike despite warning of longer inflation September 22, 2022 The Bank of England today shirked the biggest interest rate hike since the late 1980s despite inflation threatening to run hot for months. Borrowing costs climbed 50 basis points to 2.25 per cent, their highest since November 2008 and the seventh rise in a row, the Bank announced. Before the decision, City economists and markets [...]
Exclusive: The City’s best-known headhunter on decades in the midst of the action September 22, 2022 One of London’s biggest executive search companies, Anthony Gregg Partnership, is celebrating its 20th year in business this week. Time for Morning Wire to sit down with chief executive Tony Gregg to look back on the last two decades as he opens up about what the anniversary means to him and to hear what the Square Mile insider [...]
Ofcom widens net for Big Tech probe September 22, 2022 Ofcom will be widening the scope of its probe into Big Tech, digging into competition concerns surrounding the cloud services space. The media regulator said this morning that it would launch a market study into the sector to ensure that markets are working well for people and businesses in the UK. Cloud services have exploded [...]
Federal Reserve backs third jumbo rate hike to unpick inflation out of US economy September 21, 2022 The Federal Reserve backed a third successive jumbo-sized interest rate hike today as it scrambles to unpick inflation out of the US economy. Chair Jerome Powell and co hoisted the global financial system’s most important rate 75 basis points to between three and 3.25 per cent. Wall Street edged lower after the move. The tech-heavy [...]
London’s FTSE 100 bumps higher after government halves firms’ energy bills September 21, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 bumped higher today as investors digest the details of the government’s energy support package for UK businesses. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.63 per cent to 7,237.64 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, rose 1.01 per cent to 18,714.67 [...]
Liz Truss tax cuts must be bolder to revive UK economy, Thatcherite thinks tank claims September 21, 2022 Liz Truss must be even bolder than cancelling the corporation tax rise to unlock the UK’s full economic potential, a Thatcherite think tank has claimed today. The prime minister’s chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, is expected to reverse the six percentage point corporation tax hike at this Friday’s mini-budget. The move will generate a 1.2 per cent [...]
FCA warns millions of Brits who live in blocks of flats urgently need better protection September 21, 2022 Under a move by the City watchdog to improve how the buildings insurance market operates, the FCA said today that people living in blocks of flats could receive greater protections from high insurance costs. A cross-industry risk-sharing scheme could be set up to limit the risk to individual insurers posed by buildings affected by flammable [...]
What are the key factors that can sink M&A? September 21, 2022 | City Talk 2021 saw booming markets and the release of capital from investors that had built up during the pandemic. It was a record-breaking year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. This year, circumstances are quite different. Economies are now dealing with geopolitical issues like the Russia-Ukraine war, rising inflation and interest rates, and declining company valuations, [...]