The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today revised its growth prospects for the UK economy. The lobby group is now forecasting growth of just 1.1% this year, down from its 1.3% forecast in June and much lower than the 1.9% it estimated at the start of the year. Meanwhile, it is expecting growth of [...]
A quarterly survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed that the UK economy was “fragile”. The BCC’s survey for the three months to the end of June showed a slow recovery and estimates that the economy grew by 0.3% in the period – slower than the 0.5% growth in the first quarter. Commenting [...]
Leading business group, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), has downgraded its growth prospects for the UK economy. The BCC now expects the economy to grow by 1.3% this year, slightly lower than a previous forecast of 1.4%. The figures are much lower than the 1.7% expected by the Office of Budget Responsibility but are [...]
It has been announced that the UK minimum wage will rise by 15p (2.5%) to £6.08 an hour from October 1, 2011 and is set to benefit almost 900,000 people. The 15p an hour rise applies to workers aged 21 and over. Meanwhile, the rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will increase by 6p to £4.98, [...]
According to the latest Quarterly Economic Survey from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the recovery remains fragile. The survey, which polled 6,000 firms, found that companies still face cash flow problems and 80% of manufacturers said the cost of raw materials means they are under pressure to lift prices. The manufacturing sector has been [...]
Accountancy firm BDO has joined many other leading business groups by suggesting a premature interest rate hike could derail the economic recovery. According to the latest Business Trends report, BDO said a rise in interest rates would strengthen the pound and therefore, reduce export competitiveness, having a negative impact on manufacturing. The manufacturing sector, which [...]
Leading business group, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), is urging the Bank of England not to increase interest rates this week. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will commence its two-day meeting tomorrow and while many have called on the Bank to hike rates to combat stubbornly high inflation, the BCC is calling on the [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today warned of a fragile economic recovery in the UK with growth expected to slow in the final quarter of 2010. There has been suggestions that economic growth will be severely hampered because of the Government’s massive spending cuts. There is a possibility that the Bank of England’s [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has revealed more than half of UK firms will either slash or freeze employee’s pay in 2011. The survey, which covered 450 businesses, found 45% of firms would give their staff a pay rise, 49% said they would freeze wages, while 6% said they planned to cut salaries. Companies [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has revised its forecast for UK economic growth, in light of austerity measures, the euro zone debt crisis, the VAT hike and the weak housing market. Many experts and business organisations have said the tough austerity measures, introduced by the Government to trim the deficit, will undoubtedly hit growth. [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) today echoed other reports and suggested the Bank of England needs to inject more money into the economy, via its quantitative easing (QE) scheme. QE, also known as printing money, is a process whereby the Treasury injects funds into the financial system to ease pressure on banks by giving [...]
A survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has revealed the UK economy is likely to have grown in the second quarter but serious concerns remain. The lobby group, which surveyed 5,600 businesses across the country, is forecasting growth of between 0.6% and 0.7% for the three months to the end of June. However, [...]
Chancellor George Osborne will unveil his emergency budget next week and tax hikes are expected. However, according to business group, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), “punishing” tax rises could hit economic growth. A rise in capital gains tax (CGT) is expected. This is the levy firms or individuals pay on the profit gained from [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has warned there is a risk of a double-dip recession (whereby the economy goes into recession twice without having undergone a full recovery in between). The warning from the business group comes as it said the Government should delay making big spending cuts as the recovery is still weak. [...]
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has today said the UK economy will outperform its G7 rivals in the second quarter of 2010. The forecast comes despite the UK economy lagging behind other major economies and being one of the last to emerge from recession - in the fourth quarter of 2009. However, [...]
Leading business group, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), has today said it has concerns for the UK economy but the recovery is “still on course”. The BCC’s survey of more than 5,500 businesses showed that manufacturing sales were struggling, while new orders remained in decline. However, the business group said growth within the key [...]
Further good news for the UK economy emerged today after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said exports in November soared to £20.2 billion - the highest since October 2008. The rise was fuelled by sales of consumer goods and chemicals, according to the ONS. The ONS said that Britain’s global goods trade gap narrowed [...]
In its economic survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said the UK economy appears to be “on the brink of leaving recession”. The UK has been lagging behind other economies and is now the last major economy that is still in recession. Official figures due to be released [...]
A survey by business group British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has revealed that businesses are cautious about a recovery next year with figures showing that two thirds are planning wage freezes or pay cuts next year. The survey, which questioned 260 companies, also revealed that in a bid to reduce overheads, one in five is [...]
European equities markets were higher Tuesday as banks came back from big declines on Monday, helped by a statement from Societe Generale’s (Euronext: GLE) CEO that his bank is healthy. The FTSE 100 was up 0.87 percent to 5,174.25 in London, while the FTSE 250 added 0.27 percent to 10,011, with banks the best performers [...]
Rics: Housing market remains in the doldrums
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the UK housing market remained weak in August with house prices falling further. According to the Institution, homeowners remain reluctant to put their properties up for sale, while buyers continue to struggle to secure a mortgage and remain uncertain about the economic climate. The [...]
CML: Mortgage lending edges higher in July
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in July. According to the Council, there were 48,400 loans advanced for house purchase in the month – up by 1,000 from June’s figure but almost 7,000 lower when compared with July 2010. Commenting on today’s figures, Paul Smee, [...]
UK inflation edges higher in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.5% last month from July’s rate of 4.4%. However, the figure was in line with analysts’ expectations. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs but the main reason behind last month’s rise was a 5.1% [...]
Fresnillo down on silver prices
European equities markets were lower Monday on the possibility that Greece could default soon and on speculation that Moody’s Investors Service could cut its rating on several big banks with holdings tied to Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63 percent to 5,129.62 in London, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.65 percent to 9,983.75 as [...]
IFS warns of tough times for UK households
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that households will be squeezed for the next decade as they suffer from the harsh spending cuts introduced by the Government. It said households are suffering one of the worst attacks on their finances since the Second World War and that the impact of [...]
ICB final report recommends ring-fencing
The Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
Tullow Oil leads 100 in London
European equities markets were significantly lower Friday on an increased possibility that Greece could default on its debt as soon as this weekend, raising the concern level over the European region’s debt problems and ratcheting up worries that the economic recovery is faltering. Additionally, markets reacted to the resignation of European Central Bank board member [...]
SMMT: UK car sales rise in August
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed UK car sales saw their first rise in 14 months in August. According to the trade body, car sales rose by 7.3% in August compared with the same month in 2010, with sales of smaller cars rising by more than 30%. The Ford Fiesta remained [...]
Factory gate inflation higher than expected in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices held steady in August – remaining at the highest annual rate since October 2008. According to the ONS, output prices (factory gate) annual inflation for all manufactured products held steady at July’s upwardly revised reading of 6.1% in August. The figures were [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Contact us
