Afghanistan: Withdrawal This week, the US announced that they had now withdrawn from Afghanistan following a 20-year long alliance with Britain in the region. The successful evacuation of over 15,000 people to the UK, since the 14th of August, under the time constraints is considered an achievement for the Ministry of Defence; however, there remains between 100-150 British citizens who were unable to get to their flights alongside 800-1,100 eligible Afghans ...
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Handelsbanken, a BSCC Patron member, has analysed the UK’s performance in Q2 of 2021 with their UK Chief Economist, James Sproule, identifying the strong 87.8% increase in the ‘accommodation and food service’ sector. This was partially attributed to the success of England in Euro 2020 but also mainly due to the re-opening of indoor hospitality with COVID restrictions. Sproule additionally went on to state that the accommodation sector will receive ...
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UK Stock Shortages Some analysts have now started to point to a slower recovery in the UK economy due to a variety of causations. The HIS/CIPS Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) hit a sixth month low for August (scoring 55.3)- scoring below the Eurozone average and USA. The group attributed this to the “worst shortages of staff and materials on record” which are holding back the recovery. Manufacturers, for instance, are ...
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UK Q2 Forecast The first quarterly estimate for UK GDP growth in Q2 has been released and suggests a rise of 4.8% following the easing of COVID restrictions. Interestingly, the largest contributors to growth were the wholesale/retail trade, accommodation and food service activities, and education. Each month in Q2 is expected to have achieved moderate growth and real GDP growth will likely be the strongest in the G7- followed by Italy ...
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Centigo, a BSCC member, has identified key methods to comply with stricter new controls on food products crossing the British borders with EU, in particular for products of animal origin. Since the 1st of January 2021, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls have impacted almost all sales of animal products. The current guidance has led to an array of logistical challenges on the UK-EU border as supply chains have been forced ...
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The Swedish Government has imposed an entry ban on UK travellers to Sweden which now only provides exemptions to citizens of other EEA states, those with family ties, workers in selected industries, UK citizens who are holding or have applied for residence status, and a few rarer circumstances. Most arrivals will also require a valid COVID test taken within the latest 48 hours of arrival and the UK Government recommends ...
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Société Générale, a BSCC Patron Member, has pushed further ahead with its commitment towards promoting gender diversity through its support of the #JamaisSansElles association. The “Never without her” charter now permanently commits the company’s top management into ensuring there is always female representation at public events. This would include any media event, debates and panels alongside a broad range of influential activities involving Société Générale. The French firm employs approximately 133,000 ...
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American International Group (AIG), a BSCC Patron member, last month reported improved net investment income in each of its segments as the total net investment income delivered 46% YoY growth to a value of $3.7bn. Figures from the Quarter also revealed cash levels of $2.8bn (down 1.1% YoY) with the value of assets remaining consistent at $584.4bn (down 0.4% YoY) during what has been a globally challenging period. Overall, AIG maintains ...
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Hotel Diplomat, a BSCC Patron member, in Stockholm is famous as one of Sweden’s best hotels and this success has been shared alongside their new boutique hotel called Villa Dagmar. The 70-room hotel opened just three months ago and is part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts property portfolio. After a considered review, one of Britain’s largest newspaper’s ranked Villa Dagmar as one of the ’25 hot new hotels in ...
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UK-Australia Trade Deal Last week, the UK agreed upon an historic trade deal with one it’s closest allies: Australia. The FTA was agreed during a meeting with PM Johnson and PM Morrison last Tuesday (15th June) in London which is believed to protect 3.5m British jobs. Over the next 15 years the deal will slowly expand to cover wider aspects of the economy and by 2036 all quotas/tariffs on agricultural goods ...
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