Traders bet on 2% interest rates after US inflation beats worst expectations Business

gHello.

All eyes are on Unilever this morning, which released its first set of results since that disastrous £50bn for GSK’s consumer healthcare division.

The main theme is input costs, which Unilever predicts will increase by 2 billion euros in the first half and 1.5 billion euros in the second half. As a result, it should again raise prices for consumers.

The Marmite maker will be pleased with its 2021 numbers, however. Underlying sales rose 4.5%, largely thanks to higher prices.

In another bid to satisfy shareholders, Unilever said it was launching a €4 billion share buyback program and ruled out any major acquisitions in the short term.

5 things to start your day

1) Population aging will transform the UK economy in Germany Retiring baby boomers will cost the UK an extra £76billion a year

2) Bank of England must raise rates slowly, senior official says Huw Pill says big interest rate hikes are likely to hurt the economy, despite the threat of inflation

3) Klarna Approaches $60 Billion Valuation With New Funding Round ‘Buy now, pay later’ firm seeks new funding as Downing Street pushes for London IPO

4) Energy ‘peak pricing’ will be offered to millions of homes Three of Britain’s biggest suppliers plan to charge more at peak times

5) Gym chain backed by Rishi Sunak’s wife calls out administrators Digme Fitness is on the verge of collapse as remote workers abandon downtown locations

What happened overnight

Asian stocks mostly rose on Thursday as investors tried to gauge U.S. inflation, tensions between Russia and Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to 27,680.91. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.1pc to 7,275.70. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.1pc to 2,771.88. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged down 0.1pc to 24,803.59, while the Shanghai Composite was little changed at 3,480.49.

coming today

• Business : AstraZeneca, Beazley, Relx, Unilever, MJ Gleeson (Annual results); Ashmore, Redrow, Syncone (temporary); Watches from Switzerland (Business Update)
• Economy: GDP (UK)RICS house price equilibrium (UK)consumer price index (WE)unemployment benefit claims (WE)monthly budget statement (WE)