The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has today elected to cut interest rates by one quarter of a percentage point to 4.5% in a bid to bolster growth. The move, which was widely expected, comes as the global economy slows and unemployment rises (currently at 5.2%). It was the first time in two-and-a-half years that [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s October 5-6 meeting have been released today and have revealed all nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to keep interest rates at the historic low of 0.5%. This was the third consecutive month that the Committee voted unanimously to keep rates at the record low, despite [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK factory output fell 0.3% in August on a monthly basis. The reading was worse than economists had expected and confirm weak prospects for the economy after the figures suggest a poor start to the third quarter. On an annual basis, meanwhile, factory output was 1.5% [...]
Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, believes Britain is in the midst of the “most serious financial crisis ever”. The Governor was speaking after the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) elected to keep interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5%. Interest rates have now been at this low level since [...]
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has today elected to keep UK interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5%, as widely expected. Interest rates have now been at this low level since March 2009 – when the economy was in the midst of recession. Recent figures show the economy [...]
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the Government to launch new initiatives to boost the ailing housing market, suggesting it could help economic growth. The business lobby group wants Chancellor George Osborne to launch the fresh initiatives in his autumn statement, which will be delivered later this year. In a speech to [...]
Figures published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed a strong rise in UK car production for the month of August. UK car production rose 10.7% in August versus the same month a year ago, the SMMT said, with the total number of cars produced at 86,250. Furthermore, for the year-to-date, car [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK factory output shrank by 0.2% in July after a flat reading the previous month. The reading was worse than economists had expected and confirm weak prospects for the economy after the figures suggest a poor start to the third quarter. The fall was attributed to [...]
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is urging the Government to cut the rate of VAT in core sectors of the economy. The suggestion comes after the FSB’s latest Business Confidence Report, which saw a sharp fall in sentiment during the second quarter. VAT was raised to 20% earlier this year to raise billions of [...]
Ireland has slashed its VAT rate on a number of goods, including restaurants, hospitality and tourism in a bid to boost the economy and get consumers spending again. The country’s Government lowered the rate from 13.5% to 9% on 1 July and it will remain until December 2012. The new rate will mean slightly lower [...]
Newcastle-based housebuilder Bellway has today said an uplift in consumer confidence has led to a rise in sales. The housebuilder, which is the fifth largest by market value, said it had experienced a sales rate of 111 units per week in the four months to the end of May – 9% higher than the same [...]
Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that rising oil prices pose a risk to the global recovery by reducing spending power and fuelling inflation. The agency is urging oil producers to increase supplies to avoid “derailing the economic recovery”. The agency said it is seriously concerned that “there are growing signs that the rise [...]
The John Lewis Partnership, which is regarded as a barometer of British retailing, today reported an improvement in weekly sales – boosted by the half-term school holidays. The renowned employee-owned chain has reported five consecutive weeks of lacklustre sales but in the week to 26 February, sales rose 7.2% to £54 million. Selling director David [...]
Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, has today revealed German retail sales grew for a second consecutive month in January. According to Destatis, retail sales rose 2.6% in January on an annual basis – boosted by falling unemployment. Earlier this week, the Federal Labour Office said there was a further fall in the number of people out [...]
Figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed a strong rise in UK car production for the 2010 year. UK car production grew by 27.1% during 2010 to 1.27 million cars compared with 2009, with growth up 10.6% in December alone. In addition, commercial vehicles (vans and trucks) also saw [...]
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has today left interest rates at almost zero, in a bid to boost the economy and continue its battle against deflation. The Japanese recovery has been faltering of late and exports, a crucial driver for economic growth, continue to slow. In addition, a strong yen could be damaging for the [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed US retail sales grew for the fifth consecutive month in November. Sales grew by 0.8% – exceeding the 0.5% expected by economists and will boost hopes that the economic recovery picked up pace in the final quarter of the year. High unemployment remains a major concern in the world’s largest [...]
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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