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 [...]
FCA makes lenders pay £12m back to 60,000 as pandemic lessons learnt November 3, 2022 The City’s financial watchdog (FCA) is telling lenders to pay back millions in compensation to borrowers after having learnt lessons from poor practices in the pandemic. A report published by the Financial Conduct Authority this morning outlines that £12m has been paid out to thousands of companies in difficulties. Its executive director of consumers and [...]
Analysis: This shapeshifting inflation surge ain’t over yet October 19, 2022 Today’s inflation figures may have caused a few chairs to be flung at walls in the Bank of England. Prices are up 10.1 per cent over the year to September, above the City’s expectations and up from August. They were in line with the Bank’s forecasts though, a genuine rarity. Remember, the central bank has [...]
Lloyds Bank: Shares fall after bumping up ‘bad loan’ recession provisions February 22, 2023 Lloyds Bank reported that higher interest rates offset the money set aside to cope with loan defaults during the final quarter of 2022, but disappointed the market with yet more conservative guidance on net interest margin for 2023. Lloyds recorded a pretax profit of £1.8bn during the quarter, in line with company-compiled consensus and over [...]
Bank of England won’t cut interest rates until Christmas but UK to avoid recession April 17, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to cut interest rates at Christmas, lured into the decision by inflation falling rapidly over the course of this year, new forecasts that also say the UK will dodge a recession out today claim. Governor Andrew Bailey and his team of economists are tipped to launch the first rate [...]
Homeowners look to flog properties as UK house price growth slows July 6, 2022 Requests for property valuations have hit their highest since January, according to the latest research, as homeowners look to make the most out of the market while house prices are still hot. House price growth has been slowing since the beginning of the year, according to the country’s most watched indexes. While still breaking new [...]
Housebuilder Barratt shares slide despite pandemic recovery and £5.2bn revenue September 7, 2022 Housebuilder Barratt Developments’ shares slid this morning despite its construction output recovering to pre-pandemic levels and a rosy revenue of £5.26bn. The FTSE-listed housebuilder’s annual results coincided with a caution from Halifax today, warning of a housing market slowdown amid the cost of living crisis, soaring energy bills and rising mortgage interest rates. Completions climbed [...]
Nationwide CEO: No plans for more big acquisitions after £2.9bn Virgin Money deal May 23, 2024 The chief executive of Nationwide has said the lender is not considering any more big-ticket acquisitions, with Britain's largest building society already busy enough finalising its £2.9bn takeover of Virgin Money.
Election 2024: No party has ever come back from this far behind – but anything can happen May 22, 2024 Rishi Sunak has clearly decided that the risks of waiting outweigh the dangers of calling a general election when the polls are so dire
Britain’s paltry paternity leave is yet another thing pricing out parenthood August 10, 2024 Two weeks of paternity leave places Britain firmly near the bottom of fatherly league tables. It’s time to extend it, writes Cameron Smith After months of nervous anticipation for your first child’s arrival, the best-laid plans often go awry. As a new dad, you’ll listen closely to the birth plan your partner carefully arranges with [...]