“UK wages grow faster than expected in the last quarter of 2022”

Feb 15, 2023 | Economy

So here’s the dilemma for the Bank of England. Do they push up interest rates further, pushing firms to cut jobs, pushing down the amount others still hiring need to pay to get and keep staff, and so pushing down inflation. In theory. Or would the natural course of economic affairs if they leave or reduce rates, bring inflation down anyway, with a lot less resultant joblessness and human misery. The ‘in theory’ is the key to this, as economics, as every economist will tell you as they comprehensively cover their backs, is not an exact science, if indeed it’s a science at all. Pesky people and unpredictable world events tend to get in the way and today’s theory is tomorrow’s history. The only answer is to always be prepared for rainy days. If you can afford a mac (of the old-fashioned type) and a brolly.

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“The biggest shock investors could face in 2023”

“The biggest shock investors could face in 2023”

What’s the biggest shock investors could face this year? Well, not a shock to hear that it’s inflation, the fund-manager-as-horoscope-writer equivalent of ‘there’s a full moon in Pisces, so you may meet an old friend this year. Or make a new one.’ Prices will go up. But maybe not as much as we think, or maybe by more than we think.