Although stores have been forced to start their sales early this year to persuade shoppers to part with their money, nearly a third of people in the UK will go into debt over Christmas. Fifty-eight percent of this group will put more spending than usual on credit cards and thirty-nine per cent will go overdrawn [...]
Almost 40% of UK households saw their finances deteriorate in August, according to the latest Markit Household Finance Index, with the rate of deterioration faster than at the height of the recession. Worsening finances were evident across all income groups, age ranges and regions, as the survey registered the fastest fall in cash available to [...]
Moody’s rating agency has revealed it is investigating how the UK’s biggest banks would manage business without Government support. The agency said it may downgrade the debt of its ratings of up to 18 UK banks to reflect the lower chance of a future Government bail-out. According to the agency, those at risk are the [...]
A new survey by the Bank of England has revealed 51% of households are struggling to meet repayments for credit card bills and other unsecured debts. The survey, which questioned almost 2,000 households, established 90% of respondents expect to be affected by the Government’s massive spending cuts. Almost of quarter (22%) of respondents said they [...]
The European Union’s statistics office, Eurostat, has today said Greece’s budget deficit reached a revised 15.4% of annual economic output last year – higher than the 13.6% reported in April. The revised figure, which is almost two percentage points more than originally forecast, now makes it the largest deficit in the euro zone – even [...]
Figures published by the Insolvency Service have revealed bankruptcies and personal insolvencies fell in the third quarter but nevertheless remained above pre-credit crunch levels. According to the Insolvency Service, there were 33,935 personal insolvencies in the July to September period – a fall of 3.7% compared with the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, there [...]
Portugal’s parliament yesterday endorsed tough austerity measures – designed to deal with the country’s spiralling budget deficit. Many euro zone nations have introduced similar measures as they tackle large levels of debt. The new austerity budget is aimed at trimming the deficit from 7.3% of economic output in 2010 to 4.6% in 2011. However, the [...]
Credit rating agency Moody’s has downgraded Spain’s credit rating today – just a day after unions held a general strike to protest against tough austerity measures. Like many other euro zone nations, Spain has introduced austerity measures, aimed at cutting its budget deficit, which is currently 11% of GDP. Spain aims to reduce the deficit [...]
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 [...]
Figures today revealed a surprise rise in Japan’s unemployment rate. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said unemployment edged higher from 5.1% in April to 5.2% in May. Analysts had expected a fall to 5%. However, the availability of jobs in the world’s second largest economy improved. The jobs-to-applicants ratio grew from 0.48 in [...]
Credit rating agency Fitch has today downgraded BP’s rating by six notches, from AA to BBB. The downgrade comes as the oil giant continues to battle to contain the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico which has resulted in the company’s shares plunging in value. Commenting on the downgrade, Fitch said it is concerned [...]
Asian stock markets were down earlier today while European stock markets followed suit over disappointing US jobs data on Friday and fears that Hungary could suffer a Greek-style debt crisis. Earlier today, Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed down 3.8% – its biggest daily fall in 14 months, while the Chinese Hang Seng index lost 2.3%. European [...]
The Cabinet Office has today announced that the world’s second largest economy expanded by 1.2% between January and March compared with the previous quarter – marking the fourth straight quarter of expansion. The growth was boosted by exports, while on an annual basis, growth was 4.9% – however, analysts had expected growth of between 5.4% [...]
The strength of the recovery in the world’s second largest economy should lead it to start reducing its massive debt from 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF is urging Japan to increase consumption tax, while containing its growth in spending, in order to deal with its debt which currently stands at [...]
Standard & Poor’s (S&P) have today downgraded Spain’s credit rating by one notch to AA from AA+ and comes as the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the crisis in Greece could spread throughout Europe. Following the news, the euro fell against the dollar to $1.3129 – a level not seen since [...]
Greece’s finance minister, George Papaconstantinou, has said talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about emergency loans are progressing well. Last week, the debt-ridden economy called for emergency funding from the IMF and its euro zone partners. Emergency loans of up to €30 billion (£26 billion) are expected to be provided in the first year, [...]
The euro has started to recover after details of a loan package emerged over the weekend for debt-ridden Greece. The currency rose by more than 2 cents (1.5%) against the dollar, to $1.3672, while it also gained on the pound to 88.408p. Yesterday, finance ministers of the euro zone nations agreed to provide emergency loans [...]
There are renewed fears over the Greek debt crisis after a hammering of bond prices by investors took the yield on short-term Greek debt up to 8% yesterday – almost 3% higher than in October 2009. There is now speculation that Greece will be seeking a bailout sooner rather than later with one analyst suggesting [...]
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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Greek yields up on Wolfgang Schaeuble comments
Germany’s Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, has said Greece is at “risk” of default if funds are not provided soon. In a letter dated 6 June to the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Minister said a new package was required as the current one is “insufficient”. “A return by Greece to [...]