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☆ European markets set for higher open ahead of UK budget statement
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European markets are heading for a higher open Tuesday as investors in the U.K. prepare for the 2024 budget statement. The budget, which will be presented to the British Parliament by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, outlines the government's plans for taxation and spending. They will be seeking more clarity on where the central bank stands on monetary policy and looking for clues on the pace and timing of anticipated interest rate cuts this year. The central bank leader will speak before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. Asia-Pacific markets were mixed Wednesday, with Hong Kong stocks leading gains in the region and up over 2%.

Persons: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, Jerome Powell's Organizations: National Insurance, Nasdaq, Financial, CSI, Apple Locations: Asia, Pacific, Hong Kong, China

☆ UK Budget: Jeremy Hunt set to cut taxes for workers as election looms
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A cut to national insurance — a levy paid by people who work — costing around £10 billion ($12.7 billion) is likely, according to multiple UK media reports. But soaring government debt, crumbling public services and a lackluster economy leave the chancellor with very little room for further substantial giveaways. Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesOther so-called “unprotected” areas of the national budget, such as social care and the police force, are also at risk. “That seems unlikely when public services are creaking,” they added. OBR chair Richard Hughes said in January that the government had provided no detailed breakdown of departmental spending plans beyond March next year, giving only headline figures.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Rishi Sunak’s, Hunt, ”, Laura Kuenssberg, Jeff, Christopher Furlong, “, Richard Hughes, ” Hughes Organizations: London CNN —, Bank of England, Treasury, “ Conservatives, ” Hunt’s Conservative Party, Labour Party, Reuters, Office, National Statistics, Local Government Association, House, National Health Service, Capital Economics, ” Locations: Ukraine, Birmingham, England

The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Staff/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The EU is falling behind Britain in tapping into savers' money to boost the stock market, despite reforms in continental Europe being a step in the right direction, an official with Germany's bourse told Reuters. For Maassen there is an opportunity in Europe to rival US capital markets. Maassen urged policymakers to speed up the implementation of the Capital Markets Union, a longstanding project to create a single market for capital beyond national borders. Earlier this month, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde called for a capital markets union, with a single supervisor and trading infrastructure, to finance its digitalisation and green transition.

Persons: Stefan Maassen, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, ThyssenKrupp, Maassen, Germany's, Christine Lagarde, Lagarde, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Sakoui, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Germany's bourse, Reuters, Capital Markets, Deutsche, Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Schott Pharma, OLB Bank, DKV, New York Stock Exchange, EU, Capital Markets Union, European Union, European Central Bank, ., Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, EU, Europe, we're, U.S

☆ NatWest admits 'serious failings' in Nigel Farage incident; shares slide after earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of NatWest, a retail unit of RBS, outside a bank branch in London, U.K., on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesTrading in NatWest shares was briefly suspended on Friday morning as the stock slid after a combination of lacklustre earnings and regulators flagging possible rule-breaking in a highly mediatized case. NatWest CEO Alison Rose then admitted to discussing Farage's bank account with a BBC reporter, supplying information that was used in a story and later proved to be inaccurate. Alison Rose, NatWest chief executive, (right) departs 10 Downing Street in London, after meeting with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. NatWest Group Chairman Howard Davies said the report "sets out a number of serious failings in the treatment of Mr Farage."

Persons: Simon Dawson, Coutts, Nigel Farage, Farage, Alison Rose, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, James Manning, Howard Davies, Mr Farage, Davies Organizations: NatWest, RBS, Bloomberg, Getty, Trading, Authority, NatWest Group, BBC Locations: London

☆ Labour Party Conference: Meet Keir Starmer, Britain's likely next Prime Minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

At least that’s how it felt in Liverpool, where the opposition Labour Party held its annual conference this week. In front of a packed hall, Labour leader Keir Starmer gave an upbeat speech painting the ruling Conservatives as the party of national decline and Labour as the party of stability. A protestor throws glitter over Labour party leader, Keir Starmer during the leader's speech at the Labour Party conference on October 10, 2023 in Liverpool, England. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves makes her keynote speech during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on October 9, 2023. The story Labour is telling right now isn’t just the story of Keir Starmer, leader in waiting, but Keir Starmer and his political allies, who are the government in waiting.

Persons: Keir Starmer, “, Ian Forsyth, wilder, Jeremy Corbyn, –, Corbyn’s, Starmer, Corbyn, Boris Johnson’s “, Liz, ”, Queen Elizabeth II, David Lammy, Lammy, he’d, Johnson, Rachel Reeves, Peter Byrne, Jeremy Hunt’s, won’t, Trump, Labour – Organizations: Liverpool CNN, Labour Party, Labour, Conservative, Conservative Party’s, CNN, Conservative Party, Northern, Conservatives ’, Government, University of Leeds, Oxford, Cambridge, Public Prosecutions, Labour Party Conference, Corbyn, Biden, Conservatives Locations: Liverpool, Manchester, England, Corbyn, Israel, Britain, America, Germany, Labour’s

☆ A CEO quits and the BBC apologizes to Trump ally Nigel Farage. A banking scandal erupts in Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Alison Rose, NatWest chief executive, (right) departs 10 Downing Street in London, after meeting with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and several members of his Conservative government issued statements condemning the bank and characterizing the termination of Farage's account as an affront to free speech. Farage was offered an alternative account at regular main street bank NatWest, but declined. His critics maintain that although frequent references are made to Farage's political profile and controversial views, the reasons outlined for allowing the banking relationship to lapse were primarily commercial, and he was not "de-banked" as he claims. Without the mortgage, the bank indicated that Farage's account value would fall below its commercial criteria.

Persons: Jonathan Bachman, Alison Rose, Nigel, Coutts, Rose, Danni Hewson, AJ Bell, Farage, Coutts —, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, James Manning, Rishi Sunak, Nigel Farage, —, DANIEL LEAL, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Frances Coppola, Coppola, Dave Rushen Organizations: Getty, LONDON, NatWest, BBC, UBS, Conservative, Brexit Party, Independence Party Leader, U.K, Independence Party, UKIP, Sky News, NatWest Group, Company Locations: London, U.K, inclusivity, Leicester, British

The Federal Trade Commission on Monday applied for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction seeking to block Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard before the deal's July 18 deadline. If the deal falls apart, Microsoft might wind up owing Activision Blizzard a termination fee worth up to $3 billion. The FTC sued to block the acquisition in December 2022, choosing to bring the case before its internal administrative law judge. A hearing on the FTC's case will begin on Aug. 2, the agency said in Monday's filing. Regulators had originally felt that Microsoft might be able to prevent other companies from distributing Activision Blizzard games on other consoles other than Microsoft's Xbox.

Persons: Satya Nadella, it's, Brad Smith, Bobby Kotick, Smith, Jeremy Hunt, Jim Ryan, Lulu Cheng Meservey Organizations: Microsoft Corp, Bloomberg, Economic, Federal Trade Commission, Activision Blizzard, CNBC, FTC, Microsoft, Activision, Sony, Xbox, Competition, Markets Authority, Regulators, Sony PlayStation, Sony Interactive Locations: Davos, Switzerland, U.S

"Sterling markets will continue to digest yesterday’s Budget delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt as well as the broader global environment. Markets remain ambivalent whether the Bank of England will raise interest rates next week," said Hann-Ju Ho, senior Economist, Commercial Banking at Lloyds Bank. The European Central Bank (ECB), meanwhile, is a little behind the BoE in its quest to fight inflation. Traders attach a 60% chance of the ECB raising rates by 50 bps on Thursday, with a 40% chance of 25 bps. Money markets show investors expect ECB rates to peak around 3% later this year, compared with a peak of 4% just over a week ago.

☆ UK markets shrug off Hunt's budget; bank turmoil in focus
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - British markets, roiled by concerns about European banks after shares in Credit Suisse fell 30%, showed little reaction to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's budget on Wednesday. The pound picked up slightly against the euro as Hunt delivered the budget, in which he said Britain's official forecaster expected the economy to avoid recession this year. The euro fell to a session low of 87.25 pence as Hunt talked. However, the euro had already fallen sharply, with a big drop in European bank stocks spooking investors that were already on edge since the collapse of U.S. lender Silicon Valley Bank late last week. Britain's FTSE 100 (.FTSE) stock index was down 3.05%, with financial companies leading the falls.

☆ European markets head for lukewarm open after Wall Street bank stocks rebound
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a lukewarm open Wednesday, with European stocks expected to be in mixed territory. That comes despite buoyant trade in Asia-Pacific markets overnight and on Wall Street Tuesday, where U.S. bank stocks rebounded on optimism that the contagion risk from Silicon Valley Bank's collapse was contained. U.S. stock futures were flat early Wednesday morning. The U.K. is gearing up for Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's "Spring Budget" today in which he's expected to announce key pension and child-care reforms as the country continues to battle a cost of living crisis.

☆ Everything you need to know about a crazy weekend in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

It's all about Silicon Valley Bank going down and the knock-on effects. If you're not up to speed, here's a quick rundown on what the hell happened at Silicon Valley Bank. The US Treasury, Federal Reserve Board, and the Financial Deposit Insurance Corporation announced they would "fully protect" all depositors who had funds in Silicon Valley Bank. Regulators also made one thing clear with their announcement: "No losses associated with the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank will be borne by the taxpayer." Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has a new name for Silicon Valley Bank.

☆ Two big Silicon Valley banks failed when the easy money ran out - and that could be just the start.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Hallam Bullock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Before we jump into the newsletter, the Silicon Valley Bank saga is continuing to unfold, so let's quickly break down the latest. "No losses associated with the resolution of Silicon Valley Bank will be borne by the taxpayer," policymakers added. The fall of SVB and Signature bank means the Fed's aggressive interest-rate hiking regime has now taken sizable casualties. A $15 billion venture capital firm had warned its startups of Silicon Valley Bank's red flags months ago. Greenoaks Capital Partners told clients in an email back in November that SVB, as well as other firms, could see problems in a high-interest-rate environment, Bloomberg reported.

The sale means UK startups and investors will be able to access their money. Like its US parent, SVB UK mostly served tech startups and their investors. Insider understands from a person close to SVB UK that there is some internal frustration at the bank run. The feeling is that SVB UK was sold off simply because of groupthink. That evening, it looked feasible that the government would allow SVB UK to collapse.

☆ Silicon Valley Bank depositors are saved at the last minute
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

By now, you've probably heard a lot about the sudden, bank run-driven collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, one of the tech industry's most stalwart and trusted institutions. Tech startups say they can't access their cash deposited in Silicon Valley Bank. Before the FDIC stepped in to save the day (for depositors, anyway), the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank sparked fear, uncertainty, and panic as startups suddenly lost access to whatever cash they had stashed there. Here's the latest from Insider on the Silicon Valley Bank meltdown:Read more about the financial panic that swept Silicon Valley over the weekend here. Can Silicon Valley succeed where the CDC failed?

☆ Silicon Valley Bank's UK unit has been sold to HSBC for $1.21
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Silicon Valley Bank's UK unit has been sold to HSBC for 1 British pound, or $1.21. "This acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for our business in the UK," HSBC CEO Noel Quinn said. "This acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for our business in the UK," HSBC CEO Noel Quinn said in the bank's statement. The acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank's UK unit came after its California-based parent was shut down by California regulators Friday and taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Silicon Valley Bank's share prices had collapsed following a failed $2.3 billion capital raise.

UK banks (.FTNMX301010) dropped to an eight-week low, spooked by a brutal rout in U.S. bank SVB Financial (SIVB.O) following a share sale. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) slipped 1.9% to a five week low, while the more domestically focused mid-cap index (.FTMC) gave up 2.1% to hit a two-month low. The FTSE 100 is set to the end the week down about 2.8% in what could be its worst week since September, as worries around hawkish central banks sapped risk appetite. Next week, investors will be watching for UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's spring budget. Reporting by Susan Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Saumyadeb ChakrabartyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK to avoid recession this year but outlook still weak, BCC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The BCC forecast that gross domestic product (GDP) would fall by 0.3% this year, a smaller decline than its previous forecast of a 1.3% fall, after stronger activity at the end of 2022. Official data showed the economy narrowly avoided a recession after zero growth in the final quarter of 2022. The BCC expects the economy to grow 0.6% next year, while the Bank of England (BoE) predicted a quarter percent contraction for 2024 last month. While consumers and businesses still face a hit from double-digit inflation, the BCC expects inflation to drop to 5% in the fourth quarter and 1.5% by late 2024. The BCC expects BoE rates to be a quarter-point higher at the end of the year than they are now - taking rates to 4.25% - and then for rates to be cut to 3.5% by late 2024.

☆ UK treasury looking at U-turn on planned cut to UK energy subsidies, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A customer checks the credit on a prepayment electricity meter outside a house in Cardiff, Britain February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Natasha HirstFeb 28 (Reuters) - UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is examining plans to protect British families from a rise in energy bills by reversing a planned cut in subsidies, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. Officials confirmed to the Financial Times that the government's plans to lift the level of support in April was under review and could be dropped in the country's budget in two weeks' time. "At present there is no plan to change the policy in the Budget but there could be," one official told FT. The UK treasury department did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

☆ UK announces cash support for low-income households
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 3 (Reuters) - Millions of low-income households in Britain will receive cost-of-living support from the government of up to 900 pounds ($1,084) over the financial year, the country's Department of Work and Pensions said on Tuesday. The money will directly go to claimants' bank accounts in three payments over the financial year, the department said in a statement. The cash support was announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn statement along with a string of tax increases and tighter public spending. There will also be a separate 150 pounds for more than six million disabled people and 300 pounds for over eight million pensioners, the department said. The latest support package follows a 1,200 pound cash support programme for low-income households last year as Britain struggles with a cost-of-living crisis amid a challenging economic environment.

☆ Premarket stocks: Get ready for a spending slowdown this holiday season
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Retail sales surged by 1.3% in October. What’s happening: Wednesday’s headline retail sales numbers, reported by the US Census Bureau, came in strong, but the momentum is unlikely to continue. These cracks in retail are starting to show just as the sector enters its most critical sales period: The holiday shopping season. The bottom line: This holiday season will likely be a mixed bag with some winners and losers in the retail sector, said Saunders. “We do have to do some tax rises, do some spending cuts, if we’re going to show we’re a country that pays our way,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

☆ European markets head for mixed open as political uncertainty continues
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

European markets are set to open mixed on Thursday as political uncertainty continues in the region. Global markets are watching developments in Ukraine as the fallout from a missile hitting Polish territory continues. NATO said it was likely that Ukrainian air defenses were trying to intercept Russian missiles when the incident happened on Tuesday evening. Overnight, shares in the Asia-Pacific traded mostly lower with the Hang Seng Index falling 2.5% as Chinese technology stocks saw sharp losses. Investors are also anticipating more than half a dozen speakers from the Federal Reserve talking at events around the country Thursday.

☆ UK budget: Britain is bringing back austerity. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The country is staring down the barrel of a grueling recession, and investors remain on edge as interest rates rise. That requires Hunt, who has acknowledged that Britain faces “extremely difficult” decisions, to pull off a delicate balancing act. When the government adopted an austerity program in 2010 on the heels of the Great Recession, it shaved 1% off the country’s GDP, according to the UK budget watchdog. Just four years ago, former Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to bring nearly a decade of austerity to a close. “If we hadn’t had Brexit, we probably wouldn’t be talking about an austerity budget this week.

☆ UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt to announce a tax raid on inheritance -Telegraph
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt is to announce a tax raid on inheritance as he attempts to balance the books in next week's autumn statement, the Telegraph reported on Monday. The chancellor and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have agreed to freeze the threshold above which people must pay tax for another two years which means that more people will have to pay inheritance tax, the newspaper reported. Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Commodity stocks, Natwest drag FTSE 100 lower
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 down 0.7%, FTSE 250 off 1.2%Natwest falls to bottom of FTSE 100Glencore cuts core earnings guidanceOct 28 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 fell on Friday, as commodity-linked stocks dropped on worries about widening COVID-19 curbs in China, while Natwest slumped after reporting a flat third-quarter profit. The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.7%, with mining (.FTNMX551020) and energy (.FTNMX601010) stocks shedding 2.8% and 0.7%, respectively, as oil and metal prices slid after top consumer China expanded COVID-19 restrictions. "I'm not surprised because the government here is desperate to find sources of revenue," said Stuart Cole, head macro economist at Equiti Capital. "Investors are now concerned about the government taxing the significant sources of revenue that banks and energy companies have been earning." Shares of NatWest (NWG.L) dropped 7.8% to the bottom of FTSE 100 after the company reported a flat quarterly profit, blaming bad loan charges from a worsening economic outlook and the cost of exiting its Irish business.

☆ New UK PM Rishi Sunak is a child of privilege, married into almost $1 billion in tech money, and takes over a country struggling to afford heating
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Rishi Sunak will soon become the new prime minister of the UK. It's a union that made Sunak the first frontline UK politician to enter The Sunday Times' annual wealth listing. Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, celebrating the British Asian Trust at the British Museum on February 2022. But despite his attempts to portray a down-to-earth image, the British public has had numerous reminders that Sunak has a very different experience with money than most people. His supporters, including British chancellor Jeremy Hunt, argue that Sunak's experience in finance and at the treasury make him the right man for the job.

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