Oil prices have fallen further as investors continue to worry about the weak US recovery and Greece’s debt woes. Today, Brent crude for August delivery fell $2.95 to $102.72 a barrel, while US light, sweet crude dropped $1.13 cents to $90.14 a barrel. The US economy continues to struggle amid stubbornly high unemployment and a [...]
Indonesia, which is Southeast Asia’s largest economy, experienced growth of 6.1% in 2010 compared with the previous year. This represented the fastest annual rate for six years – boosted by consumer spending and investment. The figures made it among the best performers in the G20 developing countries and the economy is now on track to [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today cut Japan’s credit rating from AA to AA-, the first time in nine years such measures have been taken. The credit rating agency cited the country’s mounting debt worries for the downgrade. Japan’s debt currently stands at almost twice the country’s annual economic output – this compares with 136.8% [...]
The euro is continuing its slide against the US dollar over debt concerns in the euro zone. The single currency is falling as investors are nervous that the debt crisis could spread to weaker economies, such as Portugal and Spain – despite reassurances from both countries that the recent Irish bailout will stabilise the euro [...]
The latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed a further fall in UK consumer confidence for the month of October. The building society’s consumer confidence index lost just one point to a reading of 52 in October but this level has not been seen since March 2009 – when the economy was in [...]
Concern has been raised for Japan’s recovery today after the Cabinet Office said the economy is at a standstill, attributed to the rising yen, which is weakening demand for exports. As a result of a rising yen, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) intervened to stem the currency against the US dollar – the first time [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply(CIPS)/Markit construction PMI index showed activity improved last month, driven by the commercial sector and civil engineering. However, activity in the housebuilding sector dropped – bringing an end to a year-long period of expansion. The index edged higher to 53.8 in September, from 52.1 in August – surprising analysts, [...]
Professor David Miles, who joined the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in June 2009, has warned that high inflation is a concern and it is likely to remain relatively volatile over the next few years. Professor Miles was quotes in the East Anglian Daily Times as saying: “From my point of view on [...]
The Japanese yen has hit a fresh 15-year high against the US dollar today after Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, won a ruling party leadership vote, defeating Ichiro Ozawa. The currency has been rising against the dollar over recent weeks but a stronger yen has meant demand for exports has weakened – fuelling concerns for the [...]
Official figures have today revealed Japanese economic growth slowed in the April to June period, as widely expected. The economy expanded by just 0.1% in the three month period – far less than expected by analysts. Meanwhile, on an annual basis, the economy grew by 0.4% in the quarter, down from a revised 4.4% in [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s July meeting have been released today and have revealed that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-1 earlier this month to keep interest rates at the historic low of 0.5% – where they have been since March 2009. Again, the usual nine-strong committee comprised of only eight members as [...]
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, [...]
US consumer confidence took a dive in June after rising for three consecutive months. The closely-monitored Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board plummeted to 52.9 in June, down from a revised 62.7 in May. June’s figure was short of analysts forecasts of 62 and remains far away from the 90 points required to show [...]
There are fresh concerns over the European banking sector after banks are scheduled to repay €442 billion (£362 billion) worth of loans to the European Central Bank (ECB) later this week. Shares in Europe hit a three-week closing low today as a result. Furthermore, shares were hit by a sharp fall in US consumer confidence [...]
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is tomorrow expected to keep UK interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5% for the 16th consecutive month. Furthermore, all nine members of the MPC are expected to keep the quantitative easing programme (QE) on hold. QE, also known as printing money, is [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed a slight rise in retail sales for the month of April – boosted by stronger clothing and department store sales. According to the ONS, sales volumes including fuel grew 0.3% in April – slightly beating analysts’ forecasts of a 0.2% rise and follows a revised increase [...]
Shares have fallen across Britain, Europe and the US today after concerns about austerity measures in Greece, Portugal and Spain have re-surfaced. The euro also fell against the US dollar to $1.25 – the first time since March last year. The euro has already shed 12% this year against the dollar and is set to [...]
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 [...]
A report by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), has revealed a degree of optimism for the UK financial services sector, which is expected to record higher growth in the next three months, after stagnating in the last quarter. According to the business group, an improvement will be seen in the next three months after [...]
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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