Inflation fell to 2.5 per cent in August, from 2.6 per cent in the previous month, as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). The latest official figures from the Office of National Statistics also show that inflation also fell on the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure, from 3.2 per cent in July to 2.9 […]
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reported ‘tentative signs’ that the UK economy will start to recover within the next six-to-nine months. Its forecast follows a further fall in unemployment in the UK, helped by the London Olympics. The number of people out of work fell by 7,000 to 2.59 million in […]
Annual food price inflation remained at 3.1 per cent in August, the same as the previous month’s two-year low, according to data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC). However, although food price inflation seems to be bottoming out, the cost of food is increasing at a faster rate than incomes, which have grown by […]
The average cost of raising a child up to the age of 11 increased to £8,307 a year in 2011, according to the Halifax. The figure represents a 15 per cent increase over the last five years and means that it now costs more than £90,000 to raise a child to secondary school age. Inflation, […]
The Bank of England has admitted in a new report that the richest 5 per cent of UK households have benefitted the most from its quantitative easing (QE) programme. The Bank launched the programme in March 2009, in an effort to revive economic growth. In total it has bought £375bn of government bonds, known as […]
Household finances are still deteriorating, but at a slower rate, according to the Markit household finance index. The index increased from 37.5 in July to 38.9 in August, with figures above 50 representing a positive change in household finances, and figures below 50 representing a negative change. The August figure represents the third consecutive monthly […]
The Bank of England does not expect the UK economy to grow at all this year according to its latest quarterly report. It had previously forecast growth of 2 per cent for 2012 but recent gloomy economic data has led to the growth forecast being revised downwards. The forecast for medium-term growth has also been […]
The UK economy is receiving a welcome boost from compensation paid by banks to customers who were mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI). British banks have already paid out £9 billion after it came to light that they had been routinely mis-selling insurance policies designed to protect repayments on mortgage, loan and credit cards. With payouts […]
In the 2012 first quarter, individuals’ disposable income fell to the lowest level since 2003, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. Spending power is being eroded because wages are failing to keep up with inflation causing the average disposable income in the first quarter to fall to £273. Disposable income including […]
The latest official figures reveal that the UK economy contracted by 0.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, significantly more than the 0.2 per cent fall in GDP expected by economists. It is the largest fall in quarterly UK economic outlook since the first three months of 2009 and means that the double-dip […]
UK Households are feeling less pessimistic about their finances following a fall in inflation last month, according to the latest Markit Household Finance Index. The index, which is designed to give the earliest indication of actual changes in household finances each month, has increased from 37.0 to 37.5. Although this is still significantly below 50.0, […]
The UK economy could recover more quickly than expected according to economic forecasting group the Ernst & Young Item Club. The Item Club expects the UK to return to growth in the second half of this year, marking an end to the double-dip recession. However this depends on a solution being found to the debt […]
The UK economy has contracted for three consecutive quarters according to new figures from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). NIESR estimates that GDP fell by 0.2 per cent in the 2012 second quarter, with the extra bank holiday for the Diamond Jubilee contributing to the fall. This follows a 0.3 per […]
The Bank of England (BoE) is injecting another £50 billion into the economy, increasing its quantitative easing programme to £375 billion in total. The BoE decided to increase the bond buying programme due to slowing growth in export markets and the ongoing recession. The Bank has also decided that interest rate will remain at the […]
Sir Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, does not expect the UK economy to recover until 2017, three years later than his earlier estimate. The Governor made his gloomy prediction to MPs at a meeting of the Treasury Select Committee (TSC). “When this crisis began in 2007, most people did not believe […]
Inflation fell to 2.8 per cent on the Consumer Prices Index in May, from 3 per cent in April, surprising economists who had not expected it to change. Inflation also fell on the Retail Prices Index, which includes housing costs, from 3.5 per cent in April to 3.1 per cent in June. Inflation is now […]
There was a fall in the average household income in 2010—11, due to rising inflation and recession, according to the government’s annual Household Below Average Income (HBAI) report. The number of children living in poverty in the UK also fell because this figure is based on median incomes, and incomes fell proportionally more for wealthier […]
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has reduced its estimate for growth in the UK’s economy. in its quarterly economic forecast. The BBC has reduced its forecast, from growth of 0.6 per cent in 2012 to just 0.1 per cent. The UK economy contracted by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter and the BCC […]
British workers will start to benefit from lower inflation and taxes this year, ending the year £482 better off than they were in 2011, according to a new report. The Ernst & Young ITEM Club suggests that inflation could fall to two per cent by the end of the year, as long as oil prices […]
The Bank of England voted against a further round of quantitative easing, at its latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Just one member, David Miles, voted for further asset purchase to encourage growth in the UK economy, while the other eight members voted to keep the Bank’s quantitative easing programme steady at £325bn. The minutes […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
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