BoE: Mortgage approvals hit new low for April

Inmarsat adds 7 percent

Most European markets made gains Friday on the hope that finance ministers meeting in Poland will announce new measures to pull the region out of its debt crisis. The FTSE 100 was up 0.58 percent to 5,368.41 in London while the FTSE 250 added 1.01 percent to 10.428.2. Satellite telecommunications specialist Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT) led [...]

LSL: Rents reach record high in August

A survey by LSL Property Services has revealed rents in England and Wales continue to surge, with the average rent hitting a further record high last month. August represented the seventh consecutive month that the average rental cost rose. Lenders’ deposit requirements, together with unaffordable house prices has meant the rented sector has been in [...]

India lifts interest rates further to combat inflation

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has today raised key interest rates for the twelfth time since March 2010, in a bid to tame stubbornly high inflation in a thriving economy. The central bank lifted its main rate to 8.25% from 8% as inflation soars on the back of higher food and fuel prices and [...]

New World Resources best among miners

European equities markets were higher Thursday after the European Central Bank announced a coordinated effort in concert with the US Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan and the Swiss National Bank to insure liquidity through the end of this year, with the ECB lending dollars to Eurozone banks, while markets were [...]

Indian inflation rises in August

Figures today revealed India’s wholesale price inflation rose to 9.78% last month – the highest level in a year – and significantly above the central bank’s target of between 4% and 5%. Not only was the rate up from July’s increase of 9.22%, it was also higher than expectations of a 9.70% increase. This represented [...]

Euro zone growth will slow but no recession

The European Commission has today warned that euro zone growth will almost grind to a halt in the second half of the year. Its prediction comes amid the ongoing debt crisis in the 17-member region. It slashed growth forecasts for the third quarter to 0.2%, while growth for the final quarter has been revised down [...]

ONS: UK retail sales fall 0.2% in August

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK retail sales fell by 0.2% in August after riots earlier in the month affected trade. The fall followed slower growth in the previous two months after sales rose just 0.2% in July and 0.8% in June. In the meantime, food sales were also down – [...]

Comet sales fall sharply

Figures today show consumers continue to cutback in the face of higher inflation and rising unemployment after Kesa, the parent company of electrical retailer Comet, revealed a sharp fall in sales. Total revenue in the previous three months fell by 9.8% on a like-for-like basis while sales slumped almost 22% after the company blamed weak [...]

US retail sales fail to rise in August

There is further evidence of a slowdown in the world’s largest economy after retail sales stagnated last month. Sales were flat from the month earlier after July’s figure was revised down to 0.3% from 0.5%. August’s figure was also worse than expected after car sales fell and excluding this item, sales rose just 0.1%. However, [...]

Next gains on earnings

European equities markets were higher Wednesday as investors speculated that China might buy European bonds even though China’s premier said that nations with debt problems should not expect to be rescued. The FTSE 100 was up 1.02 percent to 5,227.02 in London, while the FTSE 250 added 0.97 percent to 10,107.9. Clothing retailer Next (LSE: [...]