Wall Street’s main Dow Jones index closed up 2.3% yesterday at 10,250 after good news boosted investor confidence. The pending home sales index and demand for cars boosted stocks in the world’s largest economy. “A positive housing report and better-than-expected auto sales are giving the stock market a lift,” according to Wells Fargo senior equity [...]
Over the weekend, G20 finance ministers at St Andrews in Fife reached an agreement to maintain financial support until recovery is ensured. The agreement was reached following concerns over rising unemployment and unsteady growth which saw finance ministers from developing and rich countries vow to keep fiscal measures in place until global recovery is assured. [...]
US consumer confidence took a dive in October after the closely-monitored Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board fell to 47.7 from a revised 53.4 in September. It is the second time in two months that the index has fallen and analysts were surprised by the fall after they were expecting the reading to stay [...]
The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke through the 10,000 barrier yesterday – for the first time in a year. The Dow closed up 144.8 at 10,015.86 – its highest level since October last year. London responded with the FTSE 100 rising by more than 100 points to close at a 13-month high at 5,256.1. Banking [...]
A warning from the Bank of England about the UK’s debt levels has sent sterling plummeting to a five-month low against the euro. The pound dropped as low as €1.1016 – the lowest level since April In the meantime, the pound dropped as low as $1.6134 – its lowest against the US Dollar in almost [...]
The Dow Jones index rose today on the back of positive economic data and followed gains seen over the last week. In seven out of the last eight days, the Dow Jones has risen. By mid-session in New York, the index gained 0.6% to 9,737.3 points with European shares rising in response. London’s FTSE 100 [...]
The price of oil fell to $59.32 a barrel in early trading today, the lowest point since February 2007, amid growing concerns that a US recession will reduce demand. Oil prices reached a high of $147 a barrel in mid-July. Last week, Opec said it would cut its output by 1.5m barrels a day to [...]
The world’s largest economy is officially on the verge of recession after figures from the Commerce Department show that the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% in the three months to September. The fall follows growth of 2.8% in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of the US [...]
The US Federal Reserve unanimously voted today to cut interest rates from 1.5% to 1% in a bid to stave off a recession. Wall Street had been expecting the half-point cut in interest rates and the Dow Jones lost 64 points to 9000 following the news. However, it recovered by 52 points to 9117 within [...]
It is believed that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this week, which has boosted shares worldwide following a severe decline earlier this week on fears of a global recession. The Fed is widely expected to cut rates by half a percentage point to 1%. This resulted in a sharp rise on Wall [...]
Yesterday, the continued uncertainty in the markets resulted in the Dow Jones index falling 678.9 points to 8579.2, its biggest percentage drop since October 1987. Today, stock markets in Asia followed suit after Tokyo’s Nikkei-225 index shed 9.6% and saw its biggest fall in a single session since Black Monday in October 1987. At 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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
