Helen Chandler-Wilde

1 month ago | bloomberg.com | Helen Chandler-Wilde

Hi there, it’s Helen Chandler-Wilde, a UK journalist at Bloomberg and editor of The Readout. Hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. So far, this year has had something of a retro feel. Donald Trump is back, stagflation worries are with us again – even skinny jeans are apparently returning.

1 month ago | bloomberg.com | Helen Chandler-Wilde

Restaurant operators are starting to see the impact of recently enacted tax increases in the UK. (Bloomberg) -- Shorter menus, higher prices and fewer servers. If you’ve been out to dinner or drinks recently in the UK, you might have seen at least one of these scenarios play out. That’s because of a wide range of new costs that hit hospitality businesses on April 1, when tax increases announced in last October’s budget came into effect.

2 months ago | bloomberg.com | Helen Chandler-Wilde

As points programs become more popular, they’re also getting less generous. Two decades ago, Nick Ewen was flying around once a month from his home in Las Vegas to see his girlfriend, who was at graduate school in Florida. This was an expensive habit for two people at the start of their careers, but there was a solution: points. “Miles were a great way to afford it,” he says. Ewen describes this period as his introduction to “the game” of collecting and earning as many loyalty points as possible.

Mar 4, 2025 | bloomberg.com | Helen Chandler-Wilde

This article is for subscribers only. Hi there, it’s Helen Chandler-Wilde, a UK reporter in London and editor of the Readout. Hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. Occasionally you come across a statistic that’s so surprising it rewires your understanding of the UK. A few examples: one in 10 working age adults in the UK is out of work and receiving sickness benefits, according to the IFS. The housing shortage is so bad that it needs a London-sized city to fix it.

Feb 27, 2025 | bloomberg.com | Helen Chandler-Wilde

Hi there, it’s Helen Chandler-Wilde, a UK journalist and editor of the Readout. I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter. Symbolism is important in politics. Remember Rishi Sunak announcing last year’s election in the pouring rain, while Tony Blair’s 1997 anthem Things Can Only Get Better pounded on a boom box?