🔥 This Week’s Hot Takes:
Gold smashes records at $2,750/oz – experts eye £3,000 milestone
Budget bombshell: National Insurance hike could be “final nail in coffin” for small businesses
NatWest’s surprise 0.41% mortgage rate slash signals market confidence
Goldman’s “fairy tale” prediction of 2.75% base rate raises eyebrows
Private sector growth hits 11-month slump as Budget jitters take hold
Well, well, well… If it isn’t another week of economic drama that would make Shakespeare proud!
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES OR FOOL’S GOLD?
In a plot twist that would make King Midas blush, gold has reached dizzying new heights, touching £2,750 per ounce. The glittering rise comes as investors seek sanctuary from Middle Eastern tensions and pre-US election jitters. One particularly optimistic chap reckons we’ll see £3,000 before we’re singing Auld Lang Syne – and who are we to argue when everything else seems to be going a bit pear-shaped?
BUDGET BLUES AND SMALL BUSINESS BRUISES
Speaking of things going pear-shaped, Number 11’s latest whispers are about as welcome as a fox in a henhouse. With National Insurance increases looking more certain than rain at a British picnic, small business owners are rightfully bracing themselves. After weathering the perfect storm of Brexit, Covid, and inflation that would make your eyes water, many are wondering if this might be the final straw.
THE CRYSTAL BALL CHRONICLES
Now, onto everyone’s favourite party game – “Guess the Interest Rate”! Goldman Sachs has thrown their hat into the ring with a rather ambitious 2.75% prediction for next year. This forecast has been met with the kind of skepticism usually reserved for someone claiming they’ve spotted the Loch Ness Monster. Santander’s more modest 3.75% prediction has been nodded through as slightly more sensible.
NATWEST’S BOLD MOVE
In a refreshingly positive turn, NatWest has gone and done something rather interesting – slashing mortgage rates by up to 0.41%. It’s like they’ve spotted something in their tea leaves that the rest of us haven’t. Perhaps they’re looking past the Budget drama to the Bank of England’s expected rate cuts, with all eyes on 7th November.
THE WAITING GAME
Meanwhile, UK businesses are about as comfortable as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The latest PMI figures show private sector growth has hit an 11-month low of 51.7, down from September’s 52.6. It seems the government’s gloomy rhetoric is about as helpful for business confidence as a chocolate teapot.
In conclusion, we’re all waiting for a Budget that many would rather fast-forward through – rather like a particularly uncomfortable episode of your favourite telly programme. The only difference is, we can’t reach for the remote on this one.
Stay tuned, keep calm, and perhaps invest in a sturdy umbrella – both metaphorically and literally. After all, this is Britain!
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT.
Author:
Founder and mortgage and protection adviser in Albion Financial Advice
Dariusz Karpowicz is a seasoned adviser in the financial services industry. After gaining valuable experience working with an established broker, he founded his own practice, Albion Financial Advice. This firm is dedicated to assisting clients in acquiring properties and advising on various mortgage options. Born and raised in Gdańsk, Poland, Dariusz moved to the United Kingdom in 2006.
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