News in Review
President Trump paused most tariffs for 90 days, briefly boosting global market confidence amid uncertainty The UK economy unexpectedly grew 0.5% in February, driven by services, production and construction The UK economy unexpectedly grew 0.5% in February, driven by services, production and construction “We want to secure the best deal possible for British jobs and […]
Economic Review March 2025
The Chancellor cut welfare and departmental spending to restore a fiscal buffer, but risks to forecasts remain high Inflation dipped unexpectedly but is expected to rise again due to higher energy, taxes and wage costs Business and retail activity showed resilience, but weak manufacturing and trade tensions cloud economic prospects Chancellor trims spending plans Rachel […]
News in Review
US President Trump disrupted the global trade system by introducing tariffs on ‘Liberation Day’ Global markets continue to be highly volatile following the announcement The government is to help the UK car industry cope with tariffs by relaxing electric vehicle (EV) sales targets “This is one of the most important days… in American history. It’s our […]
News in review
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced spending cuts but no tax increases, aiming to save £14bn by 2029/30 The UK growth forecast was revised to 1% in 2025, with improvements expected later in the decade UK retail sales fell for a sixth month and looming US tariffs threaten the car industry “The global economy has become more […]
News in Review
“We have to be quite careful at this point in how we calibrate our response” Last week, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held Bank Rate at 4.5%, a widely expected move but one that was more emphatically supported than analysts had predicted. At its meeting on 19 March, eight MPC members voted […]
Commercial Property Market Review – March 2025
Regional office investment rebounds as confidence grows Investor sentiment in the regional office market has improved, with total investment reaching £2.9bn in 2024, up 10% from 2023, according to Savills. The Big Six regional cities saw office take-up of 4.6 million sq. ft, 15% above the five-year average and the highest since 2019. Opportunistic investors […]
News in Review
“The economy shrank a little in January but grew in the latest three months as a whole” The UK economy shrank unexpectedly in January, according to official data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). With a contraction of 0.1%, the economy fared worse at the start of 2025 than analysts had […]
News in Review
“February’s figures highlight the delicate balance within the UK housing market” The most recent House Price Index data from Halifax released on Friday showed an unexpected fall of 0.1% in February; a Reuters poll of economists had expected a 0.3% uptick in the month. Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at Halifax said, “The typical UK […]
News in Review
“We have a chance now to do the same for the 21st century” A trade deal between the UK and US could be agreed “very quickly,” President Donald Trump said at a White House press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The President suggested the UK may avoid the tariffs imposed on other trading partners, […]
Economic Review February 2025
Growth stronger than expected in late 2024 Data released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the UK economy unexpectedly grew in the final three months of last year, although more recent survey evidence still points to a sluggish outlook. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics showed that economic output […]