Last month, the UK’s inflation figures for March were released. Having been 6.2% in February, inflation had risen to 7%, the highest rate for 30 years. Across the Atlantic, the figures were even worse, as US inflation reached 8.5% – the highest since March 1981 – as the Ukraine war pushed up energy prices. In …
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, many of our clients have asked us if the war is likely to push up prices in the UK, making the current cost of living crisis even worse. The short answer is ‘yes, almost certainly’. We have tried to explain below what is likely to happen and …
Introduction The war in Ukraine, worries about food supplies, worries about the global economy… May was another month where all the themes we have become used to were to the fore. Despite this, it was a reasonable month for the stock markets we report on in the Bulletin. China led the way with a gain …
This month’s 54 per cent rise in the energy price cap has put the cost of living firmly at the top of the news and the political agenda. Following the increase, a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity can expect to pay nearly £2,000 a year for their energy, and this could …
In the middle of March, Russia was due to make an interest payment of $117m (£89m) on two bonds denominated in dollars. There was some dispute over the payment: Russia said it had made the payment, the investors holding the bonds said they hadn’t received the money. The papers generally reported that if Russia didn’t …
Introduction April was not a good month for world stock markets. We report on a dozen major markets in the Bulletin: they were all down in the month, with the honorable exception of the UK’s FTSE-100 index, which managed a gain of just 29 points. Why was it such a poor month? The war in …
Introduction Once again, the market commentary for our clients is dominated by events in Ukraine. As in March, we have included a special section on Ukraine and – as before – we must stress that ‘at the time of writing’ very much applies to the comments. This month’s market commentary was written on Friday April …
Spring Statement: Key points at a glance The chancellor’s update on the economy comes amid surging prices for household bills and essentials. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled the contents of his Spring Statement in the House of Commons. He had been under pressure to help households with the cost of living squeeze, with prices rising …
Introduction On Monday March 23rd 2020, the UK went into its first lockdown, following the outbreak and rapid spread of coronavirus. At this point, Rishi Sunak had been Chancellor of the Exchequer for little more than a month, having replaced Sajid Javid on February 13th. He delivered his first Budget a month later, presenting what …
Introduction Not the election of Donald Trump, not the US/China trade dispute. Not even Brexit. In all the time we have been writing this Monthly Bulletin, no single issue has so completely dominated a month’s news – or threatened to have such serious consequences – as the outbreak of Coronavirus in China. That was how …
