Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane hails ‘new dawn’ for wages after decade of stagnation October 10, 2018 The Bank of England's top economist today hailed a "new dawn" for wage growth after a "lost decade" for British workers' pay packets. Andy Haldane said that average weekly earnings growth had shown a "clear rise" and that other indicators of labour market tightness have increased to historically high levels. The Bank of England and [...]
British GDP growth grinds to halt in August October 10, 2018 The British economy did not grow appreciably in August, according to early estimates, after a performance earlier in the summer which was stronger than previously thought. GDP growth for the month came in at zero per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. That followed upwardly revised readings of 0.2 per cent growth in [...]
Panmure Gordon grows profits after Bob Diamond-led takeover October 9, 2018 Venerable British stockbroker Panmure Gordon grew its profits in 2017 after being taken over last year by a consortium that included ex-Barclays boss Bob Diamond. Panmure Gordon’s parent company, Panmure Gordon Group, made profits after tax of £2.3m in 2017, more than double the £1.1m 2016 profits of the pre-takeover group. The firm made net [...]
Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane to head industrial strategy council October 7, 2018 The government has appointed Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane to chair a new industrial strategy council in a bid to boost Britain’s low productivity. The council, which will meet three or four times per year, will publish a regular report on the government’s progress on implementing its industrial strategy. The body will also [...]
Tandem Bank narrows losses as revenue run rate rises to £15m October 5, 2018 Digital banking challenger Tandem has narrowed its losses over the last year, with a current annual revenue run rate of £15m, according to new figures seen exclusively by City A.M. Tandem Money, the parent company to the bank, reported total costs of £23.5m during 2017, up from £20.4m in 2016, according to its latest annual [...]
Danske Bank faces US probe over €200bn money laundering scandal October 4, 2018 The crisis at Danske Bank deepened today as it confirmed that US authorities are investigating a €200bn money laundering scandal involving suspicious Russian money. Danske Bank has received "requests for information" from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) about the suspected money laundering which took place in its Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015. The [...]
German digital bank N26 backed by Tencent and Peter Thiel launches in the UK October 4, 2018 A German digital bank backed by Tencent, Li Ka-shing and Peter Thiel will launch in the UK today with the aim of taking on the big high street banks and adding to the fierce competition among British app-only banks. N26, which already counts 1.5m customers across 17 European countries, has started rolling out its banking [...]
International Monetary Fund warns against financial regulation rollback October 3, 2018 The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today cautioned against a “race to the bottom” on financial deregulation as it warned that regulators risk “fighting the last war” in the face of technological change. The Washington-based body said that “reform fatigue” could pose a risk to financial stability if regulation of systemically important institutions is reversed, in [...]
UK services sector growth slowed in September October 3, 2018 Business activity slowed slightly in September, according to a closely followed measure of services sector activity. The UK services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) hit 53.9 points in September, compared to 54.3 in August, according to figures released today from data firm IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, staying well above the 50-point [...]
Italian borrowing costs rise to four-year high as Rome-Brussels confrontation looms October 2, 2018 The cost of borrowing for the Italian sovereign rose to its highest since 2014 today amid investor fears of a face-off with the EU over the size of the deficit under the populist government’s spending plans. The yield on a 10-year sovereign bond, which moves inversely to prices, surged by more than 20 basis points [...]