News Tag: December
February 17, 2010
Latest UK house price statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) show the value of a typical home up 2.9% in December, compared to a year earlier.
The month saw a 0.8% increase on November, taking the average house price to £200,307 and completing a 2.9% gain for the final quarter of 2009.
However, the three-month ...
Official figures show 2.9% house price gain for 2009
by Gill Montia
February 14, 2010
Official figures have revealed further evidence of a strong recovery within India’s economy after industrial output surged by 16.8% in December compared with a year earlier - beating analysts expectations.
According to analysts, the Government is likely to withdraw its stimulus measures as a result of the strong performance. The country's central bank has injected in excess of £80 billion in ...
India industrial output soars 16.8% on year
by Kay Murchie
February 11, 2010
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed UK factory output grew more than expected in December, boosting hopes of an upward revision to the initial estimate of fourth quarter GDP figures.
According to the ONS, output increased by 0.9% in December after strong gains in the transport, paper and publishing and electrical and optical equipment sectors.
Meanwhile, the broader measure of industrial ...
UK factory output sees strong December growth
by Kay Murchie
February 10, 2010
The UK's goods trade deficit widened to £7.3 billion in December, from £6.8 billion a month earlier.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) goods exports increased by 4.5%, to £20.9 billion, in the final month of 2009 but the improvement was overcome by a 5.2% rise in imports, to £28.2 billion.
Given the weaker pound, the result has confounded analysts who ...
UK trade deficit wider in December
by Gill Montia
February 3, 2010
Eurostat has today revealed retail sales in the euro zone were unchanged in December from January.
The figures disappointed analysts who had expected a 0.4% rise in which is traditionally the busiest month of the year for retailers.
The latest figures highlight the fragile state of the economy and weak consumer demand.
On an annual basis, Eurostat said sales fell 1.6% ...
Euro zone retail sales flat in December
by Kay Murchie
February 1, 2010
According to the Commerce Department, US consumer spending rose by just 0.2% in December after a 0.7% rise in November.
The rise in consumer spending, which makes up for more than two-thirds of overall economic activity in the US, was slightly under analysts expectations of a 0.3% gain.
For 2009, consumer spending fell 0.4% - the biggest drop since 1938.
Meanwhile, ...
US consumer spending up 0.2% in December
by Kay Murchie
Credit card borrowing soars in December
by Kay Murchie
January 29, 2010
Figures from Eurostat have today revealed that the number of people unemployed across the euro zone grew to 15.8 million in December.
The latest figures mean that the unemployment rate across the 16 countries that use the euro is 10% - the highest rate since 1999.
Analysts believe that the unemployment rate will continue to rise across the region in ...
Euro zone unemployment rate reaches 10%
by Kay Murchie
January 27, 2010
The Commerce Department has today revealed a fall in sales of new homes in the US for the month of December - the second consecutive month that sales have fallen.
According to the Commerce Department, new single-family home sales dived by 7.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 342,000 units, down from a revised 370,000 in the previous month.
Meanwhile, a ...
US new home sales in steep fall
by Kay Murchie
Japanese exports up 12% on year
by Kay Murchie
January 26, 2010
Mortgage lending by Britain's High Street banks strengthened slightly in December, although the end of the stamp duty holiday is likely to have prompted a surge in completions before the New Year.
The British Bankers' Association (BBA) reported net lending of £3.5 billion during the month, up from £3.4 billion in November and showing an annual rise of 4.6%.
December approvals for house purchases ...
Mortgage lending stronger in December
by Gill Montia
January 25, 2010
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has today revealed a sharp fall in sales of previously owned homes in the US for the month of December.
The industry body said sales fell 16.7% to an annual rate of 5.45 million units in December, down from 6.54 million the previous month. Analysts had expected a rate of 5.90 million units.
However, ...
US home sales in sharp decline in December
by Kay Murchie
January 22, 2010
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed a disappointing performance for the High Street for the month of December.
Official figures showed that UK retail sales rose by just 0.3% in December compared with the previous month.
On an annual basis, sales were up 2.1% but both monthly and annual figures were lower than analysts had expected.
The annual figure ...
UK December retail sales fall short of expectations
by Kay Murchie
UK car production falls 47.5% on year
by Kay Murchie
January 21, 2010
The Commerce Department has revealed a fall in housing starts for the month of December but building permits rose.
According to the Commerce Department, construction of new US homes fell 4% during the month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 557,000 properties. The fall was primarily due to bad weather which hit most of the country.
Meanwhile, applications for ...
US housing starts fall, producer prices up
by Kay Murchie
UK’s public sector borrowing continues to soar
by Kay Murchie
Mortgage lending skips seasonal dip
by Gill Montia
January 19, 2010
The Office for National Statistics has today announced that Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose at its fastest annual pace in 9 months in December.
CPI rose 0.6% in December on the month, taking the annual rate to 2.9%, up from 1.9% the previous month.
This was the largest monthly rise in the annual index since records began and exceeded analysts’ expectations who had ...
UK inflation reaches 2.9% in December
by Kay Murchie
January 18, 2010
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said shops in Central London enjoyed their best December since records began in 2002, with sales up 12% on year.
The report came just a week after the BRC reported that Britain experienced an annual 4.2% rise in sales during December.
Both sets of figures will boost hopes that the UK economy will have emerged from recession ...
Retail sales soar in London in December
by Kay Murchie