The severe wintry weather that gripped most parts of the country last month meant a surge in internet sales. While the High Street suffered as consumers opted to stay at home, internet sales surged 25% in December (compared with December 2009) to £6.8 billion, with the sale of clothing, footwear and alcohol particularly strong. The [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has today revealed sales of previously owned homes in the US rose more than expected in December. The industry body said sales grew 12.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.28 million units – beating forecasts of 4.85 million units. Economists had expected a lower reading due to [...]
Figures published today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed a strong rise in UK car production for the 2010 year. UK car production grew by 27.1% during 2010 to 1.27 million cars compared with 2009, with growth up 10.6% in December alone. In addition, commercial vehicles (vans and trucks) also saw [...]
Budget airline easyJet has today said it was hit by the severe wintry weather in Europe last month and was hit by costs of £31 million, which also included strike action by French air traffic controllers. However, taking this into account, the airline said revenue in its first quarter (the final three months of 2010) [...]
China, which is the world’s second largest economy, experienced growth of 10.3% in 2010 – much higher than expected, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. While the growth is staggering, it has again raised fears of the economy overheating, which is adding to inflation pressures. In addition, fourth quarter growth was better than expected, [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed a decline in US housing starts for the month of December – partly attributed to the severe wintry weather which gripped parts of the country during the month. According to the Commerce Department, construction of new US homes fell 4.3% on a monthly basis to a seasonally adjusted annual rate [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today revealed activity in the UK housing market fell in December as heavy snowfall gripped most of the country during the month. The Institution said new buyer enquiries were down, while new instructions from vendors fell to an 18-month low. Uncertainty surrounding the economy and the ongoing [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to an annual rate of 3.7% in December, up from 3.3% in November. The figure was much higher than the 3.4% analysts had expected and inflation has now been above its target of 2% for over a year. Many leading business [...]
The latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed an improvement in UK consumer confidence for the month of December after three months of falls. The building society’s consumer confidence index rose to 53 in December, up from 45 in November – which represented the lowest reading since March 2009 – when the economy [...]
China’s property prices rose for the fourth consecutive month in December, albeit at a slower pace. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, prices rose 0.3% in December, taking the annual rate to 6.4% – although this is half of the peak reached in April 2010 – when prices surged 12.8%. However, prices have remained [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed US retail sales grew for the sixth consecutive month in December. Sales grew by 0.6% on the month – although this was less than the 0.8% expected by analysts. December’s increase was less than in the previous two months, as retailers started their sales early, while parts of the country [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today revealed producer output prices increased 0.5% in November on the month, after October’s 0.4%. The forecast was for a rise of 0.4% and takes the annual rate to 4.2%. According to RBS economist Ross Walker, it will make “uncomfortable” reading for the Bank of England and will raise [...]
The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has today revealed property transactions slumped to an 8-year low in December. The severe wintry weather and the traditional slow Christmas period led to sales falling to their lowest level since January 2003. According to the Association, the average estate agent branch sold four properties in December 2010. [...]
Airports operator BAA has today reported a sharp fall in passenger numbers at its six British airports in December – hit by the heavy snowfall which gripped most of the country during the month. BAA, which is majority owned by Spain’s Ferrovial, said the big freeze cost it £24 million as Heathrow and other airports [...]
A report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has revealed employment for both temporary and permanent workers rose during December. The survey of 400 recruitment consultancies showed permanent staff vacancies rising at their fastest level in four months, while demand for temporary staff saw its biggest rise in six months. However, the [...]
The UK’s biggest retailers are currently reporting their Christmas trading figures, and it has been a mixed bag so far. Today, British retailing giant Marks and Spencer (M&S) said sales in the final quarter of 2010 were up despite the heavy snowfall which gripped much of the country last month. The 127-year-old retailer which sells [...]
The heavy snowfall which gripped most of the country last month was expected to impact negatively on retail sales. However, retail sales fell just 0.3% on a like-for-like basis, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/KPMG retail sales monitor. However, total sales rose 1.5% against 6% growth the previous year – a sharp drop but [...]
December’s heavy snowfall had a negative impact on many companies and housebuilder Persimmon was no exception. The housebuilder, which is the UK’s second largest by market value, said sales activity fell by 50% in December but said it had been an encouraging start to the year. The company reported a considerable increase in underlying profits [...]
Wm Morrison Supermarkets has today reported a rise in Christmas and New Year sales, despite the bad weather which gripped most of the country during December. The grocer, which is Britain’s fourth largest, said like-for-like sales grew 1% in the six-week period over Christmas and New Year compared with the same period a year ago. [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) is expecting the UK’s motor industry to face a challenging few months amid “difficult conditions”. The comments from the industry body come shortly after it announced sales of new cars in the UK rose by 1.8% in 2010, although volumes were still at their second-lowest in the [...]
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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