Recession knife-edge: Consumer spending on credit at £1.3bn as house prices continue to slide May 2, 2023 Britain’s better than expected economic performance since the turn of the year is poised to have lured consumers into splashing the cash on their credit cards, new numbers out this week are tipped to show. Families are tipped by markets to have borrowed £1.3bn in March, which would signal spending in the UK is holding [...]
Mastercard seeks to expand crypto card tie-ups April 28, 2023 Mastercard will expand its cryptocurrency payment card programme by seeking more partnerships with crypto firms, the company’s head of crypto and blockchain said, even as the sector comes under closer scrutiny from regulators and banks grow wary. Mastercard has already partnered with crypto exchanges including Binance, Nexo and Gemini to offer crypto-linked payment cards in some countries. The Binance cards allow users to make payments in traditional currencies, funded by their cryptocurrency holdings on the [...]
Co-op Bank buoyed by interest rate rises as takeover speculation continues April 28, 2023 The Co-operative Bank has reported a jump in income as the latest lender to be boosted by higher interest rates which have pushed up the cost of borrowing. The company said its net interest income – the difference between what a bank charges for loans and pays for savings – surged by a fifth to [...]
FTSE 100 live: No Friday feeling for London index as banks follow Natwest to dip into negative territory April 28, 2023 London’s blue chip FTSE 100 index was trading flat, down 16 points at 7,815.94, as banks led the fall in the last day of trade before the May bank holiday. Despite better than expected profits Natwest shares fell 5.58 per cent. Michael Hewson chief market analyst at CMC Markets said: “When NatWest reported its full-year [...]
Natwest profits soar but customers withdraw £1bn as cost of living and tax bills bite April 28, 2023 Natwest has beaten profit expectations during the first three months of this year. Natwest Group, which includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, recorded a pretax profit of £1.8bn in the three months ending 31 March. The total comes in ahead of analysts’ expectations of £1.6bn for the quarter and ahead of the £1.2bn during [...]
FTSE 100 close: Barclays surge fails to prevent losses on London index April 27, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 slipped today, pushed lower by investors wobbling over concerns about the health of the global economy amid banking and interest rate fears. The capital’s premier index dropped 0.27 per cent to 7,831.59 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, climbed [...]
CBI to be renamed in bid to rebuild after sexual misconduct scandal, new boss says April 27, 2023 The new boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that the scandal-hit business lobby group would likely be renamed as the organisation looks to rebuild after a sexual misconduct scandal. In the last week, there has been a mass exodus of businesses from the CBI, including prominent groups such as John Lewis, [...]
FTSE 100 close: Persimmon and Standard Chartered peg losses on London index April 26, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 skidded lower today despite a decent batch of results pumping up banks and house builders. The capital’s premier index lost 0.49 per cent to close at 7,852.63 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, edged 0.04 per cent lower to [...]
Is the CBI is “finished”? City grandee and AJ Bell chair Baroness Morrissey says so April 25, 2023 The crisis-hit CBI is “finished” after the organisation admitted it failed to sack workers who sexually harassed female colleagues, City boss Baroness Helena Morrissey has said. Firms have deserted the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) in their droves after two rape allegations and a series of claims of a toxic work culture surfaced, reported by [...]
Hunt for next Natwest chair begins as Howard Davies says he will step down by July 2024 April 25, 2023 The hunt for Natwest’s next chair is underway after Howard Davies told shareholders today he will be stepping down. Speaking at the bank’s AGM in Edinburgh, Davies said he expects a replacement to be found and handover completed by July next year. Noting that nine years was the maximum recommended tenure under the UK corporate [...]