A survey from BDO, published today, has revealed a fall in business confidence, while a separate survey has revealed employers plan to axe jobs in the third quarter. According to the Business Trends optimism index from accountants BDO, business confidence fell to 95.1 in July from 95.6 the previous month – the lowest level for [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has revealed confidence among German firms remained flat in May. The closely-watched Business Climate Index remained unchanged at 114.2 in May, surprising analysts’ who had expected the index to slip to 113.7. Ifo surveys around 7,000 German manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail companies each month. Export demand helped to bring [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has announced confidence among German firms rose in February to another record high. The closely-watched Business Climate Index climbed to 111.2 in February, up from 110.3 in January – the ninth consecutive monthly increase and the highest reading for the former West Germany since 1969. The results confounded analysts expectations [...]
The Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed business confidence has dipped – hit by a strong yen and slowing exports. The influential Tankan index revealed business confidence among major manufacturers fell for the first time in almost two years. The Tankan figures are closely monitored by the BoJ when deciding [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms grew in November. The Business Climate Index rose to 109.3 in November, up from 107.7 the previous month – the strongest rise since German reunification in 1990. The closely-watched index also confounded expectations of a fall to 107.5. Meanwhile, commenting on the figures, the [...]
The Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed business confidence continues to rise, despite concerns about a strong yen. The Tankan index revealed business confidence among major manufacturers had picked up for the sixth consecutive quarter, rising to a better than expected reading of 8 in September, from 1 in June. [...]
There were signs that the euro zone economic recovery is cooling after growth in manufacturing and services eased. The manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) eased in September to 53.6, down from August’s figure of 55.1. Meanwhile, the services PMI fell to 53.6 from 55.9. However, both indices are above the crucial 50 mark – which [...]
Japanese core private-sector machinery orders – a highly volatile series seen as an indicator of corporate spending – fell more than expected in May, according to figures published today. Official figures revealed machinery orders fell by 9.1% in May compared with the previous month – the steepest fall since August 2008 – as companies held [...]
Asian stock markets saw gains today after a joint survey by the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet Office revealed a rise in Japanese business confidence. The survey, which measures the difference in percentage of Japanese companies that expect the economy to improve against those that expect it to deteriorate, was 4.0 in the April-June [...]
The GfK economic research institute has revealed a fall in German consumer sentiment. According to the institute, a survey of around 2,000 individuals revealed a decline in confidence for the first time since September 2008, as a result of rising petrol prices and forecasts for higher unemployment. According to the institute, confidence dipped to 4.0 [...]
The Institute of Chartered Accountants’ index has revealed that business confidence has surged, boosting hopes that the recession is coming to an end. The survey, which questioned over 1,000 chartered accountants across England and Wales, showed that business confidence soared from minus 28.2 at the end of March to 4.8 at the end of June [...]
Japan’s core private sector machine orders, a leading indicator of capital spending, fell in May to a record low, the Cabinet Office said today in Tokyo. The world’s second largest economy, which is heavily dependent on exports, has been hit by a slump in demand for its products overseas, particularly cars and electrical goods. Exports [...]
As expected the New Zealand central bank Governor, Alan Bollard, has cut interest rates for the seventh consecutive time, as the recession has slowed exports and reduced business investment on the island. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has officially cut interest rates by 0.5 percent to a record low of 2.5 percent. After 18 [...]
In April, business morale in France increased following record lows in previous months and this has increased the speculation that the worst of the recession is seemingly over. The French national statistics office announced today that its business confidence index increased to 71 points in April, three points higher than in March and two points [...]
A survey conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed that banks and other financial institutions are expected to cut a further 15,000 jobs in the next three months. According to the organisation, approximately 15,000 jobs have already been axed in the industry in the first quarter of this year, which will take [...]
The Bank of Japan has lowered interest rates today in an attempt to fight off a prolonged recession. The rate was cut from 0.3% to 0.1% – the lowest rate since 2006. Last month, it was announced that the Japanese economy, which is the world’s second largest, was officially in recession – its first in [...]
Business sentiment in Germany has taken a battering after a business index from the Ifo research institute revealed a sharp drop this month to a low not seen since 1990. Europe’s largest economy is set to be in for a challenging year believe economists since just a month ago, official figures revealed that the country [...]
Japanese business confidence fell at its fastest rate for 34 years with a confidence index falling from -3 to -24 in the three months to December. The quarterly Tankan survey by the Bank of Japan showed that the sharp rise in the country’s currency and the financial crisis have had a major impact on confidence. [...]
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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