POUND NOTES
■ Christmas is tough on our wallets but we need to be wary and smart with our personal details when shopping for bargains online. A third of Brits admit they’ve risked their personal information when shopping online during the festive season. One in four say they have fallen victim to a scam, losing on average £152, according to a study by cyber safety experts Norton.
■ Asda has launched a £1 meal deal for over-60s as living costs spiral. The supermarket’s Winter Warmers offer includes soup, a roll and unlimited brews. The deal is available from Asda’s 205 cafes all day, every day throughout November and December. Asda’s co-owner Mohsin Issa said: “We know that this winter is set to be incredibly hard for thousands of pensioners as they worry about how to keep themselves warm in the face of rising living costs.”
■ Mortgage rates have surged to around 6% in recent weeks, meaning buyer demand has fallen by a third since the minibudget. Despite signs that rates will fall back, they are not expected to return to the rock bottom levels of recent years. Rates of 4% to 5% are likely to be the new norm, according to Zoopla. The biggest drop in new buyer interest has been in the South East and the West Midlands.
■ The cost-of-living crisis is putting women at a much greater financial risk than men, research shows. They are significantly closer to hitting the breadline after losing a job – just 14 days versus 28 days for men. The gender pay gap, which widened between 2020 and 2021, is to blame for women’s financial vulnerability, the Legal & General report states. Working women have a lower median annual personal income of £23,245, with men on £31,070 – and women are still far more likely to work parttime than men (31% versus 11%).