News & Insight

Market Commentary

Last week, the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a narrow majority of 5 – 4 to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25%, to 5%. Four committee members expressed a preference to maintain it at 5.25%. This is the first drop since March 2020. The rate had been held at 5.25% since […]

Market Commentary

The government’s legislative agenda was set out in the King’s Speech last Wednesday. Delivered at the State Opening of Parliament, the government set out a package of bills it intends to introduce to Parliament in the coming sessions and months, in addition to outlining various policy priorities which don’t require legislation. As anticipated, the government […]

Market Commentary

Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the launch of a National Wealth Fund (NWF), which has been created to increase investment in the UK. A key Labour manifesto promise, the Chancellor pledged £7.3bn of state funding to “unlock investment” in UK growth industries. The funding will be allocated through the UK Infrastructure Bank, alongside existing […]

Market Commentary

After a historic landslide victory for the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer became the seventh Labour Prime Minister on Friday. Securing a massive 412 seats, the incoming Prime Minister spoke outside 10 Downing Street for the first time, declaring “Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and the return of politics to […]

Market Commentary

New retail data from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has highlighted a softening in retail sales in June, with a similar expectation for July, as “unseasonably cold weather” impacted, while “internet retail sales fell sharply too,” according to Interim Deputy Chief Economist at the CBI, Alpesh Paleja. Measuring volumes year-on-year, the CBI’s monthly retail […]

Market Commentary

The UK economy did not grow in April, official data released last Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed. The headline figure followed a month of wet weather, with ONS suggesting that the rain might have affected consumer spending. More positively, the services sector belied the trend and grew by 0.2%, a fourth […]

Market Commentary

Last Wednesday, hot on the heels of fresh inflation data, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak took to a rain-soaked Downing Street podium to announce the date of the General Election – which is due to be held on 4 July. The countdown is on. The statement signals the start of intense campaigning for 650 Parliamentary seats […]

Newsletters

Some of the topic covered in this edition are: AI & scams – don’t get caught out 48% of adults aged 25-34 have experienced financial fraud, with scams becoming more sophisticated Planning children’s financial futures If you are considering making an investment for a child or grandchild there is a lot to consider Crafting your […]

Market Commentary

Last week, during their third meeting of the year, the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to retain Bank Rate at 5.25% by a majority of seven to two. Two members of the committee preferred to reduce the rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 5%. The decision to retain Bank Rate was […]

Market Commentary

The recently released Lloyds Bank’s Business Barometer has revealed that during April overall business confidence was consistent at 42%. The confidence recording remains considerably higher than the Barometer’s long-term average of 28%. In the last year, only the reading in January 2024 has seen businesses reporting higher levels of confidence (44%). In April, the economic […]

Market Commentary

As demand uncertainty recedes and financing concerns reduce, investment intentions for the year ahead have improved. Manufacturers anticipate stable investment in buildings, plant and machinery, a marked shift from the January outlook when investment intentions plummeted to a three-year low. The survey also highlights expectations that spending on product and process innovation will rise during […]

Market Commentary

New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.2% in the 12 months to March 2024, down from 3.4% in February. The March CPI rate is the lowest in two and a half years and considerably down on the peak of 11.1% in October 2022. Food […]