Does raising interest rates actually bring down inflation? June 22, 2023 Britain’s inflation problem is looking much harder to solve than first thought. Numbers out from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday revealed the rate of price increases was unchanged in May at 8.7 per cent. The City thought it would slim to 8.4 per cent. Core inflation – the best barometer of underlying price [...]
Oxford St still feeling side effects of Covid as footfall recovery lags behind March 30, 2022 Oxford St has struggled to return to its pre-pandemic glory with football down 46 per cent on pre-Covid levels. Overall, high street footfall levels were down 23 per cent in February, according to an RSM analysis of data from Datscha. International travel restrictions have dampened the numbers of shoppers in central London hubs. Northern shopping [...]
Mayfair revival: Mortons private members’ club sold out of administration September 7, 2021 A Mayfair club once populated by celebrities including Lindsay Lohan and Pippa Middleton has been sold out of administration with plans to reopen next year. Administrators for Berkeley Square’s Mortons Club have sold the building, fixtures and goodwill out of administration after the company ceased to trade in 2020. Graham Bushby and Nick Edwards of [...]
Cake Box shares recovering after plummeting when blogger found accounts errors January 25, 2022 Sweet-treat maker Cake Box lost almost a fifth of its market value after errors in its annual report were spotted by a blogger. In a post over the weekend, blogger Maynard Paton identified mistakes in the company’s 2021 annual report. Its share price slipped 18 per cent, to 267p yesterday. However, on Tuesday morning its [...]
UK economy stumbles behind Euro peers as risk of recession gathers pace January 24, 2023 The UK economy is falling further behind its international rivals and experts, according to a closely watched survey. The survey by economists has revealed Britain’s services industry, which generates about £2 in every £3 in the country, is shrinking at the fastest pace in two years. S&P Global and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and [...]
Workers’ real pay erodes at historic pace despite huge wage rises November 15, 2022 Workers’ pay is still being eroded at a historic pace by rampant inflation despite employers hiking wages by one of the greatest amounts since records began, official figures revealed today. When taking off the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) preferred measure of inflation, pay excluding bonuses dropped 2.7 per cent over the last three months, [...]
Bank of England hikes interest rates by 50 points to five per cent after inflation shock June 22, 2023 The Bank of England today reverted to steeper interest rate rises in a sign that embattled Governor Andrew Bailey and co have been spooked by much tougher than feared inflation. Bailey and the rest of the monetary policy committee (MPC) – the nine-strong group who set official interest rates in Britain – backed a 50 [...]
Cost of living crisis: Inflation sees Brits take a real-terms pay cut yet again March 14, 2023 British workers’ wages have been eroded by sky high inflation for the 15th month in a row despite them bagging bumper pay rises, official figures out today show. Real regular pay, which measures pay growth in cash terms minus inflation, fell on a monthly basis in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Brits splash on the plastic to uphold spending amid cost of living squeeze March 29, 2022 Brits are scrambling to take on debt to maintain spending amid one of the tightest cost of living crises in a generation, new figures released today reveal. Soaring prices and weak pay growth are making it tougher for households to maintain their existing lifestyles, strengthening incentives to use credit cards to plug budget gaps. Data [...]
Week ahead: City braces for another Bank of England rate hike January 30, 2022 All eyes will be on Threadneedle Street this week as the City braces for another rate hike from the Bank of England. The Old Lady is widely expected to lift borrowing costs again on Thursday, marking the first time the central bank has hiked rates at successive meetings since 2004. The Bank lifted rates for [...]