Friday 21 March 2025
The Mighty Headlines
Economics: Bank of England keeps interest rates at 4.5 per cent
Business: Elon Musk sues the Indian Government over alleged censorship
Markets: Accenture shares fall by over 7 per cent
Foreign Affairs: Houthis fire missiles at Israel
Security and intelligence: UK shifts away from putting roops in Ukraine
Domestic politics: Protestors disrupt UK House of Lords debate
The Mighty Stats
FTSE = 8,701.99 (down 0.054%)
S&P 500 = 5,662.89 (down 0.22%)
Nasdaq = 19,677.61 (down 0.3%)
CAC40 = 8,094.20 (down 0.95%)
£1 = $1.30 / €1.19
*Are you interested in sponsoring this briefing? Email us at hello@mightymemo.co.uk for more information*
The Mighty Detail
Economics: The Bank of England has kept interest rates at 4.5 per cent. The Bank of England said that “global trade uncertainty has intensified” but Governor Andrew Bailey added that interest rates were on a "gradually declining path.”
Business: Elon Musk is suing the Indian Government alleging that it is unlawfully increasing its censorship powers to make it easier to take down content online. The case comes as Musk is also seeking to launch his Starlink broadband in the country, for which he is seeking the Government’s authorisation.
Markets: Shares in consulting firm Accenture fell by over 7 per cent yesterday. It reported fairly week Q2 revenue of $16.66 billion versus the $16.62 billion that had been expected. It also announced that it had lost US Federal Government contracts amid the Department of Government Efficiency’s crackdown on spending.
Foreign Affairs: The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen fired two missiles at Israel yesterday. Both missiles were intercepted. The Houthis are increasing their attacks in response to the US increasing its own attacks on the Houthis. There were at least four US strikes on the city of Hodeidah in Yemen yesterday, where the Houthi navy is stationed.
Security and intelligence: There are reports that the UK Prime Minister is moving away from the idea of putting troops on the ground as a security guarantee in Ukraine and that the UK may favour air and naval support instead. Speaking at the NATO Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, Sir Keir said that Ukrainian forces would remain the first line of defence.
Domestic politics: Protestors disrupted a debate in the UK House of Lords yesterday with cries of “Lords out, people in”. The protest was organised by Assemble, a group which promotes citizens’ assemblies. The House of Lords was debating the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
The Mighty Calendar
What’s happening today?
European Council summit for EU leaders continues, Brussels
UN Security Council discuss Israel-Gaza conflict
England vs Albania in World Cup 2026 qualifier
UK public sector debt data (February)
EU consumer confidence data (March)
Company results from: JD Wetherspoon
Lookahead to tomorrow
Saturday
Liberal Democrat Spring Conference begins
WWF World Earth Hour, 8.30pm
Hampton Court Palace gardens (free entry Saturday and Sunday)
Sunday
Fifth anniversary of UK’s first Covid-19 lockdown
F1 Chinese Grand Prix (final day)
World Indoor Athletics Championships (final day)
The Mighty Finale
🌤️Weather today
Spring must be here! Sunny for most of England apart from the southwest where it’s raining. High of 18C and low of 11C in London. Sunshine in Edinburgh too but light rain in Belfast.
✏️Life coaching quote of the day
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius, Ancient Roman emperor and philosopher
Mighty takeaway: Don’t forget how lucky you are to have a chance at life. Enjoy it!
That’s it for this Friday and this week. Thanks for reading and join us again next week!
Adios!
The Mighty Memo team