The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today said the fresh round of quantitative easing (QE) announced by the Bank of England last week may not be enough to prevent the economy from slipping back into recession and “more radical measures” are required. BCC Chief Economist David Kern said in an e-mailed statement in London [...]
According to accountancy firm, BDO, the warm weather during September failed to boost the High Street after like-for-like sales were 4% lower last month compared with a year earlier – the biggest fall since March 2009. A report by the company said people were more interested in enjoying the warm days rather than hitting the [...]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has today reported a fall in credit card usage as consumers look to cash and debit cards for their purchases. According to a survey by the BRC, which represents 90% of the UK’s stores, shoppers are opting to use their debit cards and cash to avoid borrowing. However, the number [...]
Figures today revealed Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9% in March – the lowest level since December 2008. The drop comes despite the recent flooding and cyclones which has affected farming and mining and is likely to impact negatively on economic growth. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the economy created 37,800 jobs in [...]
According to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER), business sentiment fell between January and March, following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake which hit Christchurch on 22 February. A net 11% of companies surveyed said they were pessimistic about the general business situation in the three month period. This compares with a net 1% showing [...]
The Australian dollar has hit a 29-year high against the US dollar to $1.0318 – a level not seen since it was floated in 1983. Analysts have attributed the rise to increasing demand for the country’s commodities. Australia has benefited from an increase in commodity prices, while exports have received a boost due to demand [...]
Statistics New Zealand has today revealed the economy avoided recession after growing by 0.2% in the October to December period. The fourth quarter growth follows a contraction of 0.2% in the third quarter and takes the annual rate of growth to 1.5%. Two consecutive quarters of negative growth would have pushed the economy into another [...]
China‘s property prices have remained stubbornly high despite several Government initiatives to avoid a property bubble. The Government recently announced plans to introduce a property tax. Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng said it is preparing for the “trial reform on property tax as required by the central Government”. It has also made it more expensive to [...]
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has today reported the economy grew by 0.7% in the October to December period, boosted by private spending on machinery and equipment, and inventories. However, the figure was slightly lower than the 0.8% growth expected by analysts. According to the ABS, the quarter-on-quarter figure was up from a revised [...]
Australia, which is one of the few developed economies not to have fallen into recession like its counterparts throughout the world, could see its economy contract in the January to March period. The warning came from Treasurer Wayne Swan after the country has been hit by flood and cyclone disasters, which has led to a [...]
China’s property prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in December, albeit at a slower pace. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, prices rose 0.3% in December, taking the annual rate to 6.4% – although this is half of the peak reached in April 2010 – when prices surged 12.8%. However, prices have remained [...]
Official figures revealed Scotland’s manufacturing sector grew in November at its fastest rate since August. The rise was attributed to a strong rise in new export orders for Scottish manufacturers, the Bank of Scotland’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) revealed today, boosted by demand from China and the US. The Bank of Scotland’s chief economist, Donald [...]
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has today elected to keep interest rates on hold at 4.75% – a move which was widely expected. Australia was the first economy to raise rates from a 50-year low as the economic downturn eased. Other major economies opted for lower interest rates to boost their economies. The country [...]
The Australian economy, which is one of the few developed economies not to have fallen into recession like its counterparts throughout the world, has today reported a slowing in growth for the third quarter as the rise in the dollar hit export earnings and consumers were hit by higher interest rates. Official figures revealed the [...]
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has again elected to leave interest rates on hold at 4.5%. It is the fifth consecutive month in which rates have been at this level and economists had expected rates to rise to 4.75% this month. However, it is still expected that the central bank will only leave rates [...]
Romania’s President, Traian Basescu, has today said its entry date for the euro zone may be delayed as it introduces tough austerity measures in order to avoid a Greek-style debt crisis. The country’s current target date for euro zone entry is 1 January 2015 but Mr Basescu said this could be postponed by “one or [...]
There was some good news from the US housing market today after the Commerce Department revealed housing starts jumped in August to a four-month high. According to the Commerce Department, construction of new US homes rose 10.5% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 598,000 units – beating analysts expectations of 550,000. In [...]
Figures today revealed Australia’s unemployment rate rose unexpectedly to 5.3% in July from 5.1% in June. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 24,600 more people were out of work surprising analysts who had expected no change. However, experts said the surprise rise may partly be due to revised population figures, which showed there were [...]
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has again elected to leave interest rates on hold at 4.5% after a series of aggressive rate hikes since October. It is the third consecutive month in which rates have been at this level but economists say the central bank will only leave rates on hold for the short-term. [...]
Australia has today revised its annual growth forecast from 3.25% to 3% due to uncertainty surrounding the global economic recovery. Australia is one of the few developed economies not to have fallen into recession like its counterparts throughout the world as it has benefited from an increase in commodity prices, while exports have received a [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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