City braces for BoE rate hike and mini-budget September 19, 2022 The City is bracing for a bumper week of economic data and policy announcements in a trading week shortened by the UK bank holiday for The Queen’s funeral. London’s premier FTSE 100 index posted mixed performance last week, initially jumping higher before closing 1.56 per cent lower at 7,236.68 points. Its mid-cap domestically-focused counterpart, the [...]
Soaring inflation and tax hikes to squeeze UK economy November 18, 2021 TAX hikes, soaring inflation and an end to pandemic-related government support is souring the UK economy’s prospects, according to City analysts. Brits’ spending power will be eroded by the intensifying cost of living crisis, restricting their ability to splash the cash and drive the economy, analysts at Deutsche Bank warned today. Inflation is accelerating at [...]
House price growth plummets to lowest level in a decade as confidence and costs see off buyers March 1, 2023 House price growth has plummeted to its lowest in more than a decade as a cocktail of high borrowing costs, inflation and low confidence has deterred buyers. Properties dropped in value by -1.1 per cent year on year in February, according to Nationwide’s House Price Index, down from 1.1 per cent the previous month. This [...]
Omicron and virus curbs deals blow to Brits’ confidence December 17, 2021 The emergence of the Omicron variant of coronavirus has dealt a blow to Brits’ optimism, according to a closely watched survey published today. Consumer confidence edged back one point over the last month to minus 15 in December, research by GfK found. The dip has been driven by households’ confidence in their personal finances over [...]
Black Friday will have a black mark to its name if it ignores the climate question November 24, 2022 If you are walking past a colleague’s desk tomorrow, and their screen is full, not of the task due yesterday, but of Black Friday sales, they are one of the 76 per cent of customers hunting for discount deals. For some, the day of mega sales can be traced back to a Wall Street stock [...]
CBI: Government must act now on economy to prevent recession June 13, 2022 Urgent action is needed from the government to revive growth otherwise the UK will plunge into a recession. That’s the warning today from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the country’s biggest business group. Without a fresh package of measures before the summer parliamentary recess to boost business confidence, a recession will be “a very [...]
London’s hotel mojo is back as occupancy rates climb albeit pandemic recovery remains ‘uphill battle’ June 29, 2022 Recovering occupancy rates and food and beverage sales are rapidly powering a recovery in the London hotel market, albeit slower than the industry had anticipated. For the first time since prior to the pandemic, occupancy rates in London are now exceeding the rest of the UK, at 66.9 per cent, overtaking UK rates of 68.4 [...]
Flying Rolls Royce boosts London’s FTSE 100 June 28, 2022 A positive analyst note sent aerospace engineer Rolls Royce flying in the City today, bumping London’s FTSE 100. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.9 per cent to 7,323.41 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, edged 0.17 per cent higher to 19,351.27 points. [...]
FTSE 100 close: London up as markets digest unemployment, wages and pensions data September 12, 2023 London's FTSE 100 started Tuesday morning up, as markets digest fresh figures on unemployment and wage growth, pensions and grocery inflation
The Notebook: A look at some of London’s top festive finds December 18, 2023 Where the City’s movers and shakers get a few things off their chest. Today, Michelle McGrath, executive director of Shaftesbury Capital, takes the pen. It’s no accident London is a festive city Christmas is famously the time of good cheer, but it is also the single most important time for retailers and the hospitality industry. [...]