Europe’s growth forecast cut as Ukraine war drives up inflation; diesel price hits record – as it happened

7d ago 14.58 Sadiq Khan: London must invest to lure commuters after Covid Gwyn Topham Mayor of London Sadiq Khan re-opens the Bank branch of the Northern line at Monument Station in London today Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA London is “desperate” for commuters to return and needs to keep investing to lure them back, its mayor, Sadiq Khan, has said as he reopened the Northern line via Bank station, a key connection into the City. Khan said the reopening was another milestone on the road to recovery after Covid. The underground branch had been closed for 17 weeks to build a new tunnel, track and concourse to alleviate congestion in the station, a key interchange for tube lines and the Docklands Light Railway. The commissioner for Transport for London, Andy Byford, said it had been completed “on time and on budget” – a critical point for TfL as it seeks to negotiate long-term capital funding for investment from the government. The full £700m Bank upgrade project, encompassing six years of work on the station and including better connections, accessible lifts, and a new station entrance, will be completed later this year.

Khan said the reopening of “one of the most complicated stations in the world” was “another example of investment in public transport paying dividends, that will lead to an improved experience for commuters – we’re desperate to get people back to the office. “This is crucial. If you’ve been working from home for the last two years, we’ve got to make the offer of returning to the office – the journey – enticing.” Sadiq Khan: London must invest to lure commuters after Covid Read more

Updated at 14.59 BST

7d ago 14.49 An entrance to the NYSE on Wall Street in New York. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters Wall Street has opened in the red, as news that China’s economic activity weakened in April add to concerns about a global economic slowdown. Investors are also still concerned that the Federal Reserve will tighten policy sharply this year, given mounting concerns over inflation (as we’ve just heard from NY Fed chief John Williams). The S&P 500 index of US stocks dipped by 33 points, or 0.8%, to 3,990 points, back towards the bear-market territory it flirted with last week, before a strong rally on Friday. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite has dropped around 1% to 11,667 points.

Raffi Boyadjian, lead investment analyst at XM, says recession fears have risen after last month’s slump in activity in China:

Fresh jitters about recessionary risks dented sentiment on Monday, weighing on stocks, oil and risky currencies, following some disappointing data out of China that greeted investors at the start of the week’s trading. Industrial production in the world’s second largest economy unexpectedly fell by 2.9% in the 12 months to April, while retail sales plunged by 11.1%, missing the forecasts by a wide margin. Although investors were already expecting a significant hit to China’s economy from the lockdowns, the extent of the contraction has shaken confidence as the global growth outlook keeps deteriorating amid central banks’ battle against inflationary forces. China does not have the same inflation problem as the rest of the world but authorities’ efforts to stimulate the economy have left a lot to be desired.

7d ago 14.05 Back in the UK, the Green party aren’t impressed by Ofgem’s plan to change Britain’s energy price cap every three months. Co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay, said updating the cap twice as often won’t address the cost of living crisis:

“Changing the goalposts in this way will do nothing to help the millions of households struggling to put food on the table and pay eye-watering energy bills. Energy companies may think that such tinkering will mitigate the cost-of-living crisis, but they’re not fooling anyone. “We need measures that put money back in people’s pockets now. That’s why the Green Party has argued for restoring the £20 uplift to Universal Credit and doubling it to £40 per week, in addition to other benefits. We also want to provide every household with an additional £320 to help them pay for spiralling energy costs. And in the longer term, a nationwide insulation programme over the next decade funded by a carbon tax on fossil fuel companeis would help cut energy bills “dramatically”, Ramsey adds.

7d ago 13.50 Manufacturing activity declined in New York State declined this month, in another worrying sign of economic slowdown. The New York Fed’s Empire State business conditions index, a gauge of manufacturing activity in the state, fell to minus 11.6 this month, down from +24.6 in April. Economists had expected the index to fall slightly to around +16.5, so this shows that conditions deteriorated.

New York Fed May Manufactuting Index: headline general business conditions index dropped thirty-six points to -11.6 https://t.co/fApvjH5OLU pic.twitter.com/aWFmqRFJG7 — Brian Cheung (@bcheungz) May 16, 2022 Twenty percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while thirty-two percent reported that conditions had worsened. Firms reported that new orders declined sharply this month, while shipments fell at the fastest pace since early in the pandemic. Growth in unfilled orders slowed too. Growth Slowing

Bad news for manufacturing as the Empire State manufacturing index plummets.

Unfilled orders from 17.3 to 2.6 points.

New orders: 25.1 to -8.8

CapEx plans: 27.3 to 22.8 pic.twitter.com/IJC148z2me — Growth & Value (@Growth_Value_) May 16, 2022 New York Empire State factory activity shows surprising weakness in May https://t.co/5VuXTkWjr8 — MarketWatch Economy (@MKTWeconomics) May 16, 2022

Updated at 14.11 BST

7d ago 13.22 I missed this earlier.. but inflation pressures have continued to rise in Germany.

The prices charged by German wholesalers rose by another 2.1% in April, lifting annual wholesale price inflation to 23.8%. That’s the highest since the data series began in 1962, as wholesalers passed on rising costs. Good Morning from Germany where #inflation pressure keeps rising. Wholesale prices jump 23.8% in April YoY, highest annual rate of change since beginning of calculation of the wholesale price indices in 1962. Wholesale prices mainly driven by raw materials & intermediate products pic.twitter.com/WYgnKK8ajJ — Holger Zschaepitz (@Schuldensuehner) May 16, 2022 Destatis says the Ukraine war continued to push up the cost of raw materials, energy sources and food products. The high annual rate of change for wholesale prices mainly derives from increased prices for raw materials and intermediate products. The largest impact on the annual rate of change in April 2022 had the price increase in wholesale trade of mineral oil products (+63.4%). The high price increase in wholesale trade of solid fuels (+70.9%), grain, unmanufactured tobacco, seeds etc. (+56.3%) as well as metals and metal ores (+55.7%) also contributed to the high rate of change in March 2022.

7d ago 13.07 Full story: Average UK price of diesel hits record of more than £1.80 a litre Alex Lawson The average price of a litre of diesel has hit a high of just over £1.80 a litre – and could rise even further if the EU ban on Russian oil goes ahead. The RAC reported that the price a litre in the UK has outstripped the previous record of £1.79, set in March after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The amount paid on forecourts had dipped in the interim but began rising again in recent weeks as efforts to hit the Kremlin economically fed through into already high fuel prices. A full EU ban on Russian energy imports could push this even higher. High diesel prices are a warning sign for the economy as the fuel is typically used in vans and lorries owned by businesses, driving up their costs.

The RAC said petrol prices were also rising – up 3p since the start of the month at 166.65p on average, a penny shy of the record high set in March. More here: Average UK price of diesel hits record of more than £1.80 a litre Read more

7d ago 12.31 Greenpeace protesters block arrival of Russian diesel tanker at Grays terminal in Essex Greenpeace says protesters have occupied a jetty where a tanker carrying a 33,000-tonne shipment of Russian diesel was due to berth, forcing it to turn around in the Thames.

The campaign group said 12 activists gained access to Navigator Terminals in Grays in Essex and climbed onto the jetty late on Sunday. Greenpeace is protesting against the UK Government allowing fossil fuel money to flow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Essex Police said officers were called to reports of people gaining access to the terminal shortly after 11.05pm on Sunday, PA Media reports. The force said eight people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, and officers are working with partners to bring “a number of others” to safety. Greenpeace said several protesters remain in place, with one activist on the offloading pipes, another hanging off the jetty and others occupying the jetty preventing the tanker from docking. They have unfurled a banner reading: “Oil fuels war”. BREAKING: We’ve just STOPPED a Russian Oil Tanker! 📣🚨

Last night Greenpeace activists stopped a tanker carrying 33,000 tons of Russian diesel from docking in Essex.

If the UK govt won’t say no to funding Putin’s war on Ukraine, then we’ll do it for them.#OilFuelsWar pic.twitter.com/Y8WTA13Tql — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) May 16, 2022 Why are we stopping this ship from docking?

Fossil fuels are funding Putin’s war in Ukraine. This ship alone contains tens of millions of £’s of Russian diesel.

The UK needs to get off Russian gas and switch to renewables for good. Learn more. 👇https://t.co/q5p6kqVCgG — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) May 16, 2022 Greenpeace said the 183-metre-long vessel was due to offload at 11.59pm on Sunday. Georgia Whitaker, oil and gas campaigner at Greenpeace UK, said: “The UK’s attachment to fossil fuels has backfired in the worst way possible – we’re funding a war, our energy bills and fuel costs are sky-high, and we’re driving the climate crisis. “It has to stop. “Putin invaded Ukraine nearly three months ago, and yet fossil fuel money from the UK is still funding his war chest. “Ministers have kicked a ban on Russian oil imports to the end of the year despite strong public support for it. “To stand up to Putin, bring bills down and tackle climate change, the Prime Minister must get us off fossil fuels as fast as possible, stop ludicrous energy waste from our substandard draughty homes, and prioritise cheap, clean, homegrown renewable power.” The UK govt has banned all Russian ships, but Russian oil is still getting through.@RUTankerTracker helped us stop this shipment of Russian fossil fuels from docking in Essex today!

Follow to track which countries are still funding Putin’s war.#OilFuelsWar #GetOffGas pic.twitter.com/fTz7cwlcDk — Greenpeace UK (@GreenpeaceUK) May 16, 2022