Economy

May- 2022 -

18 May

Inflation hits 40-year high

UK inflation has hit its highest level in 40 years during the month of April, driven by the rising cost of energy bills. The figure, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), was up from 7% in March. The ONS said that around 75% of…

5 May

BoE raises interest rates to highest level since 2009

The bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates to its highest level since 2009 – marking the fourth time it has taken action since December. The new rate of 1%, up from 0.75%, is the BoE’s latest attempt to curb the rampant rise in inflation – also at its…

Apr- 2022 -

11 April

UK GDP slows to 0.1% in February

Gross domestic product (GDP) slowed in the UK as the economy only saw 0.1% growth in February, down from a growth rate of 0.8% in January. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), services grew by 0.2% and was the main contributor to February’s growth in GDP, although this…

Mar- 2022 -

31 March

High street footfall continues to lag behind pre-pandemic levels

Footfall levels remain 23% below pre-pandemic levels in February 2022 as rising costs are reportedly set to “batter” retailers from 1 April, according to RSM. The latest data from Datscha, analysed by RSM, shows the overall decline in footfall is the worst in London with numbers on Oxford Street down…

23 March

Inflation hits 30-year high at 6.2% in February

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 6.2% in the 12 months to February 2022, up from 5.5% in January, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It revealed this is the highest CPI 12-month inflation rate in the national statistic series which began in January 1997, and the…

23 March

Spring Statement: Chancellor raises NI threshold to £12,570

The chancellor has outlined a series of measures to help combat the rising cost of living in his latest spring statement, including increasing the national insurance threshold by £3,000. Speaking in parliament today (23 March), Rishi Sunak began his speech by warning it is yet unclear what the impact of…

17 March

BoE raises interest rates to 0.75%

The Bank of England has raised interest rates back to the pre-pandemic level of 0.75% as it tries to mitigate the effect of the rising costs of living and the impact that the conflict in Ukraine is having on the global economy. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted with a…

Feb- 2022 -

3 February

BoE raises interest rates to 0.5%

The Bank of England (BoE) has raised interest rates for the second time in three months to 0.5%, up from 0.25% previously. The BoE Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) confirmed it voted by a majority of 5-4 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 0.5%. Interestingly, it revealed those…

3 February

Energy price cap to rise 54% from April

Retail bosses are braced for a spending squeeze after it was revealed the energy price cap is set to increase by 54% from 1 April amid a “record” increase in global gas prices, in a move that is set to affect approximately 22 million customers. Energy regulator Ofgem announced that…

2 February

Shop price inflation surges to 1.5%

Shop Price annual inflation accelerated to 1.5% in January, up from 0.8% in December, according to latest research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). This is taken from the period covering 1 – 7 January 2022 and reveals it is above the 12-month average decrease of 0.6 and six-month average…