The Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed business confidence has plunged after March’s earthquake and tsunami. The index turned negative for the first time in more than 12 months with companies gloomy about the future. The key index fell to a reading of -9 from a positive reading of 6 [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has revealed confidence among German firms unexpectedly rose in June. The closely-watched Business Climate Index grew to 114.5 in June from May’s reading of 114.2, confounding analysts’ expectations of a fall to 113.4. The index is now close to a record high of 115.4 recorded earlier this year. However, a [...]
The Zew economic sentiment index has revealed German analyst and investor confidence fell for the third consecutive month in May. The index, which measures expectations of economic activity over the next six months, plunged to 3.1 from April’s reading of 7.6 – the figure was worse than forecasts of a drop to 4.5. The latest [...]
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 Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms rose in January to another record high. The closely-watched Business Climate Index rose to 110.3 in January, up from 109.8 in December – the eight consecutive monthly increase. It also represented the second straight record high since the country’s reunification in 1990 and slightly [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms rose in December to a record high. The Business Climate Index rose to 109.9 in December, up from 109.3 the previous month. Not only did the reading exceed expectations of 109.4, it represented the seventh consecutive increase. The closely-watched expectations index also rose to [...]
The euro zone received a boost today after a report revealed business and consumer confidence surged to its highest level since March 2008. Confidence in the 16-member nation rose to 101.3 in July, up from a revised 99 in June, according to the European Commission’s economic sentiment index. However, the Commission highlighted that the rise [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms has returned. The Business Climate Index jumped to 106.2 points in July from 101.8 the previous month – the strongest rise for 20 years. The reading also exceeded expectations of a fall to 101.5 points. Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy, contracted by a [...]
A survey among UK companies has found that confidence has plunged to a level not seen since 1995, as a result of the Government’s tough spending cuts. BDO’s Business Trends index, which covers 11,000 companies from a range of industries, slumped to 97 in May from 103.3 in April – the largest fall since the [...]
The Bank of Japan’s closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed an improvement in business confidence in Japan. The Tankan index revealed business confidence among major manufacturers had picked up for the fourth consecutive quarter, rising to -14 in March from -25 in December and significantly higher than the record low of -58 seen this [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms has unexpectedly fallen for the first time in 10 months. The Business Climate Index fell from 95.8 in January to 95.2 in February – analysts had expected a rise. The euro dipped after the news but according to Hans-Werner Sinn, the Ifo’s president, business [...]
The Ifo think tank has today announced that confidence among German firms has grown for the fifth consecutive month and has risen to its highest level since September 2008. The business climate index from the Ifo Institute increased to 90.5 in August from a revised 87.4 the previous month. The rise in morale comes just [...]
Final salary pension schemes may not have breathed their last breath, but they are certainly on the throes of extinction, an industry expert has claimed. Dr Ros Altmann, a former academic and independent expert on pensions policy and retirement, said when final salary pensions were first conceived, it was assumed they would be funded through [...]
Inklings of confidence are returning to British business, with many firms expecting an increase in sales by the end of the year. The survey of 2,500 UK firms by Lloyds TSB Commercial found 31% of businesses expect an upturn in sales before the end of 2009. Three in ten (30%), however, are braced for a [...]
The Bank of Japan’s closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed an improvement in business confidence in Japan Today’s figures will add to the belief that the worst is over for the world’s second largest economy. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced that industrial production was up 5.9% in May [...]
John Charcol claims there has been a “sharp increase” in house purchase activity so far this year year. The broker says that in May, mortgage applications for house purchases were higher than for remortgaging for the first time since 2007. The firm’s Monthly Mortgage Index shows that business connected to house purchases hit 53.4% last [...]
A survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants has revealed confidence among businesses has rose to -28.2 at the end of March, from -45.3 at the end of the previous quarter. The rise represents the first since the third quarter of 2007, but is still far away from the 4.8 mark measured at the time. [...]
The latest Bank of Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey has revealed that business confidence among major manufacturers in Japan has hit the lowest level ever. The survey of 10,000 companies, which is seen as a key indicator of the health of the country’s economy, revealed that confidence has plummeted to a 35-year low. The world’s second [...]
A government scheme designed to reduce the tax burden on British businesses has proved a success, helping over 60,000 firms deal with cash-flow problems. The Business Payment Support Service (BPSS), announced last November in the Chancellor’s Pre-Budget Report, provides a fast-track service for businesses who need more time to pay their tax bills. These businesses [...]
Twenty nine is the best age for setting up a new business, a recent survey has revealed. Abbey Business Banking asked owners of small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) what they consider the ideal age to go it alone. Twenty nine was the average age given by respondents, although almost a quarter (24%) said 25 [...]
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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