Central banks face tough journey to ‘Goldilocks’ policy setting June 19, 2022 Goldilocks found the perfect bowl of porridge through trial and error. The US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and the rest of the central banking elite are following a similar rationale right now. They are grasping for that “just-right” policy setting which allows an economy to reach its full potential without knowing what that setting [...]
Uber calls on rivals to offer employment benefits as Bolt faces trade union lawsuit June 15, 2022 Uber has called on its rivals to give drivers employment benefits, after one of the UK’s biggest unions said it is taking legal action against ride-hailing app Bolt over its lack of workers’ protections. Britain’s third largest trade union, GMB, is set to file legal proceedings against Bolt, in a bid to force the Estonian [...]
Theo Paphitis: Dragons’ Den star says the high street is going nowhere and neither is he June 14, 2022 Theo Paphitis is not in any hurry to hang up his boots. After decades running the show at companies from lingerie to stationery firms, one might be mistaken for thinking the Dragons’ Den star, retail titan and former Millwall chairman may be mulling a change of pace. However, Paphitis tells City A.M. he has “a [...]
Brits’ living standards drop at quickest pace in over a decade June 14, 2022 Brits’ living standards are falling at the fastest pace in over a decade caused by historically high inflation outstripping pay, reveals official figures published today. Take home pay, accounting for price rises, dropped 2.2 per cent over the three months to April, the steepest fall since 2011, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
UK jobs market tension shows little sign of unwinding June 10, 2022 Tension in the UK jobs market shows little sign of unwinding as employers continue to struggle to find workers amid a shallower labour pool, reveals a closely watched survey today. Vacancies edged lower in May, indicates 71 reading on KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) employment index. Despite falling, the reading is far [...]
Businesses warn inflation and supply chain crisis could be worse than impact of Covid-19 June 5, 2022 THE BUSINESSES at the backbone of the UK economy are increasingly worried inflation and supply chain issues will be more damaging to their prospects than the Covid-19 pandemic was, according to a closely watched sentiment tracker. Accountants BDO’s survey of medium-sized businesses suggests economic headwinds are squeezing both margins and wages – with tax hikes [...]
NIESR top economist: Bank of England has tools to fight inflation May 30, 2022 The UK economy is in a bit of a bind. Households are being squeezed by historic rises in their living costs, while businesses’ margins are thinning due to expenses soaring. A much higher than expected inflation crunch – primarily the result of Russia’s unforeseen invasion of Ukraine – is forecast to trigger a spending pull [...]
Sunak hits energy firms with windfall tax to pay for £15bn cost of living package May 26, 2022 Rishi Sunak has hit British oil and gas firms with a 25 per cent windfall tax to pay for a £15bn package to help households with the cost of living crisis. The chancellor’s interventions this year will see every household in the UK given £550 to help pay their energy bills, but with the country’s [...]
Exclusive: Steep surge in income tax and national insurance as higher taxes bite in cost of living May 26, 2022 The combined amount of Income Tax and National Insurance paid in the last twelve months has soared by 13 per cent to more than £387bn, new figures from HMRC show. The latest data from the taxman comes amidst the growing cost-of-living crisis, the Government is now likely to come under increasing pressure to alleviate the [...]
UK economy is ‘grinding to a halt’ amid cost of living crisis May 25, 2022 The UK economy is “grinding to a halt” as a tightening cost of living squeeze sends a chill through private sector activity, reveals a closely watched survey. Households are cutting spending in response to rampant inflation eroding their budgets, weighing heavily on the UK’s services sector, the country’s economic engine. Activity among services firms dropped [...]