Recession spreads to British construction as experts brace for a jump in unemployment and the cost of living January 6, 2023 British builders are being dragged into a slump by the recession that has taken hold in the wider economy, a closely watched survey has revealed.. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply’s (CIPS) final purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the construction sector for December fell to 48.8 from 50.4. The reading means [...]
UK poised to have officially dodged recession last year as outlook brightens March 26, 2023 Britain is poised to have officially swerved a recession last year, the country’s statistics agency is expected to confirm this week. New final numbers outlining economic growth in the final three months of 2022 are likely to hold steady at zero per cent, meaning the UK narrowly dodged the official recession definition of two consecutive [...]
Wall Street hits record high after FTSE 100 ends first quarter in the red March 31, 2021 Wall Street has posted its fourth consecutive quarter of gains after tech stocks pushed the S&P 500 to a record high today. The S&P 500 closed up 0.57 per cent, just shy of hitting 4,000 points for the first time as hopes of economic recovery offset a spike in US Treasury yields and the collapse [...]
Santander UK profit slides amid mortgage price war and rate cut expectations April 30, 2024 Santander UK has reported a 29 per cent slump in profit as the boost from higher interest rates fades and a fiercely competitive mortgage market forces it to offer better deals to customers.
FTSE 100 close: Anglo American and Antofagasta receive China boost but Barratt drops after house price slide March 1, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 sprung higher today, propelled by investors piling into commodity giants after a batch of better than expected data indicated the Chinese economy is on the mend. The capital’s premier index flung 0.49 per cent higher to back above the 7,900 point mark, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more [...]
First-time buyers spend 39 per cent of take home pay on a mortgage – Nationwide January 13, 2023 Homes for first-time buyers are at their most expensive as a proportion of take-home pay since the financial crisis. The proportion of monthly income that first-time buyers are having to put towards mortgage repayments is returning to levels last seen in the 2008 financial crisis, according to Nationwide. Nationwide, the UK’s third largest lender has [...]
Workforce shrinkage risks roiling growth and embedding inflation December 20, 2022 A workforce squeezed by older Brits retiring earlier threatens to intensify inflation in the UK and whack economic growth, a new report out today claims. The some 565,000 people who have left the jobs market since the start of the Covid-19 crisis will drag on a UK economy that is already tumbling into an at [...]
Business lending to drop at fastest rate in decades as recession fears intensify February 6, 2023 Bank to business lending is forecast to contract sharply in 2023 while mortgage lending will grow at its slowest pace since 2011 as fears of recession intensify, economists have predicted. According to the latest forecast from EY Item Club, an economic forecasting group, bank to business lending is expected to contract 3.8 per cent this [...]
Banks set to ramp up lending as UK economy dodges recession May 15, 2023 Banks are expected to ramp up their lending this year as the UK economy dodges the gloomiest recession predictions and the housing markets shows signs of some revival, according to a panel of top economists. Total UK bank loans are now expected to rise 1.2 per cent this year, a net increase of £29bn, upgraded [...]
John Lewis returns to profit but cuts staff bonus for third year running March 14, 2024 The employee owned John Lewis Partnership (JLP) will again not pay staff a bonus this year, but has reported a return to proft.