Play by the rules: Making free trade a level playing field February 14, 2022 Two years ago in Greenwich, the Prime Minister spoke eloquently of Britain’s “re-emergence after decades of hibernation as a campaigner for global free trade”. Trade – which he described as “God’s diplomacy” – has done more than any other economic idea to raise global living standards and lift billions out of poverty. If there is [...]
John Lewis turns around losses after Christmas boost February 14, 2022 John Lewis is trading in the green following strong Christmas sales which helped the group recover from heavy losses.
Uncertain week ahead: Nervous markets hold their breath as Ukraine-Russia tensions reach boiling point February 14, 2022 Despite Friday’s weakness European markets still managed to finish the week higher, with the FTSE100 finishing higher for the second week in a row. For US markets it was a week of two halves, with a decent first half undermined by two days of sharp losses, which were prompted by an unexpectedly hot January CPI [...]
Blackrock invests in 200MW Chilean solar power plant February 14, 2022 The world's largest asset manager, Blackrock, has inked a deal with Solek to build and develop a solar power plant in Chile.
Chefs, waiters and bar staff benefit from pay bump as hospitality sector shows signs of life after Covid-19 February 14, 2022 Chefs, bar staff and waiters are being rewarded with a pay bump in a sign Britain’s hospitality industry is recovering from a bruising couple of years, reveals new research published today. Wages at roles in pubs, bars and restaurants have climbed 12 per cent, according to research by Caterer.com. Cooks are benefitting from the greatest [...]
Labour squeeze and national insurance hike to throttle UK SMEs’ growth plans February 14, 2022 A tight labour squeeze and soaring hiring costs are throttling small and medium-sized British firms’ recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, reveals a fresh survey published yesterday. British businesses are intending on launching a hiring spree this year to boost growth and restore revenues to pre-pandemic levels, but fear a lack of talent could throw their [...]
Workers flood back to the office after end of Plan B curbs February 14, 2022 Workers are flooding back to the office after the government scrapped Plan B curbs last month, fresh figures published today reveal. The number of Brits shifting from their bedroom and kitchen desks and heading back to their firm’s office shot up 50 per cent in the final week of January, according to office provider IWG. [...]
Exclusive: Energy crunch to squeeze UK industry February 14, 2022 UK manufacturing is set to swallow a £20bn-plus bill from soaring energy costs this year, heaping further pressure on Britain’s weakening economic recovery, reveals exclusive research shared with Morning Wire Surging oil and gas prices will pile an extra £8.7bn on to factories’ energy costs in 2022, crimping their already squeezed margins. Swelling energy bills [...]
Week ahead: City’s gaze turns to fresh inflation figures February 13, 2022 All eyes in the City this week will be on fresh inflation figures as investors brace for another shocker of a print. Most economists expect inflation to firm even further, jumping to 5.5 per cent in January from 5.4 per cent in December. That would still leave the cost of living at around a 30-year [...]
US Fed to embark on fastest tightening cycle in recent history, warns Goldman Sachs February 13, 2022 The US Federal Reserve will embark on the fastest tightening of monetary policy in recent history this year to tame runaway stateside inflation, Wall Street analysts are betting. Chair Jerome Powell and co will lead the charge against the soaring cost of living across the pond by hiking interest rates seven times in 2022, according [...]