Inflation reaches 7 per cent as Brits fear cost of living crisis April 13, 2022 The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose seven per cent in the year to March, with Brits braced for sky-high price hikes across essential bills this spring. According to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today, the largest contributions to the increase came from motor fuels, with no large offsetting downward contributions. The [...]
Spending cool down weighs on London-listed supermarkets April 12, 2022 Early signs of consumers pulling back on spending drove supermarkets lower today in the City, dragging down London’s top indexes. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.55 per cent to 7,576.66 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250, which is more aligned to the health of the UK economy, fell by the same amount [...]
The City View: Victoria Scholar on rising prices, unemployment and retail sales data; and XR cause Lloyd’s of London HQ shutdown April 12, 2022 Today Andy Silvester talks to Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment at Interactive Investor. They go through some of the week’s economics data on GDP, unemployment, retail sales, and talk trading updates. They discuss the latest from ASOS, Deliveroo, and EasyJet: ASOS is facing a raft of headwinds, as investors lose confidence in the online retailer; [...]
Cost of living grip tightens as wages trail rampant inflation April 12, 2022 The cost of living crunch is tightening its grip on Britons’ living standards in a further sign that the UK economy is hurtling towards a period of slow growth. Fresh figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today reveal pay is lagging far behind inflation, meaning households are unable to buy the same [...]
National insurance hike sparks wave of job cuts April 11, 2022 Businesses have unleashed a wave of job cuts to cope with being hit by the national insurance hike, reveals fresh research released today. The pipeline of redundancies has taken off in the last month alone, triggered by firms scrambling to protect their bottom lines ahead of a series of damaging tax rises. The number of [...]
Week ahead: Bumper week of economic data to jolt the City April 10, 2022 The City will be eyeing a raft of flagship economic announcements this week that will send ripples throughout London’s top indexes. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index registered a strong week last week, gaining 1.75 per cent. The mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, shrank [...]
Sainsbury’s becomes first big grocer to pay London Living Wage amid cost of living crisis for Brits April 8, 2022 Sainsbury’s has confirmed that it will become the first major supermarket to pay the London Living Wage. Shop workers at Sainsbury’s and Argos stores in outer London will receive £11.05 per hour, a boost of 55p, from next month. The supermarket said this means staff in the outer areas of the capital will match employees [...]
£200m boost for all Tesco shop staff and warehouse workers as pay jumps to £10.10 per hour April 7, 2022 Supermarket giant Tesco has announced it will hike hourly wages by 5.8 per cent from £9.55 to £10.10, as Brits face a cost of living crunch. New hourly rates for store and warehouse staff will be effective from 24 July, the grocer revealed on Thursday afternoon. The supermarket also confirmed workers in London would be [...]
Tax Spotlight: How the jump in national insurance will affect you and your household April 6, 2022 As Brits try to juggle surging living costs on a shrunken wage packet, experts have warned the pain of the rise in national insurance will be felt by people on their next payday, Here is a look at why the increase is happening and why “awful April” is seen as just the start of a [...]
Cost of living squeeze deals financial crisis level blow to Brits’ optimism April 4, 2022 Brits’ optimism is eroding at the fastest pace since the financial crisis amid the tightest cost of living squeeze in a generation, reveals a closely watched survey released today. A combination of inflation scaling to its highest rate in three decades, tax hikes, swelling energy bills and weak wage growth have bound together to deal [...]