The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation fell to 4.2 per cent in December, from 4.8 per cent in November, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the third consecutive month that inflation has fallen and December’s figures represents the biggest monthly fall since April 2009. Inflation [...]
Leading think tank, the Ernst & Young Item Club, has warned that growth within the UK economy is “grinding to a halt” because of the euro zone debt crisis. The Item Club also warned that the quantitative easing (QE) measures, announced recently by the Bank of England, are unlikely to boost the recovery. Its comments [...]
Respected think tank, Ernst & Young ITEM Club, has lowered its growth forecast for the UK economy after warning that the UK is at a “critical juncture”. The ITEM Club now believes the UK economy will expand by 1.4% this year, down from an earlier estimate of 1.8%. Furthermore, it is predicting growth of 2.2% [...]
Respected think tank, Ernst & Young ITEM Club, has today said UK retailers are in for a tough time as household incomes become even further squeezed amid rising inflation and soaring energy bills. The think tank is forecasting consumer spending to rise by just 2% a year in the next decade as family finances are [...]
Influential think tank, the Ernst & Young Item Club, is urging the Bank of England not to be pressurised into lifting UK interest rates as it could threaten the economic recovery. Interest rates have been at the historic low of 0.5% since March 2009 – when the economy was in the midst of recession. Despite [...]
Respected economic forecaster, the Ernst & Young Item Club, has today warned of a gloomy outlook for consumers but a double-dip recession is unlikely. The think tank said economic growth will be hampered due to massive spending cuts – introduced by the Government to tackle the budget deficit. The Ernst & Young Item Club is [...]
The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has today elected to keep UK interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5% for the 18th consecutive month, as widely expected. Furthermore, the Bank opted not to inject any more funds into the economy via its quantitative easing (QE) scheme – introduced [...]
Mortgage borrowers will be pleased to hear that interest rates could be “pinned to the floor” until 2014. The prediction comes in the latest report by respected economic forecaster, Ernst & Young Item Club, which at the same time acknowledges that high energy prices and the VAT rise due in January will keep inflation above [...]
Respected economic forecaster, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, is predicting that interest rates will stay at the historic low of 0.5% until 2014. “A base rate of 0.5% will begin to look like the new normal,” Professor Peter Spencer from the ITEM Club said. Interest rates have stood at the record low since March [...]
Respected economic forecaster, Ernst & Young ITEM Club, sees the prospects for the UK’s economic recovery remaining poor this year, with output growth likely to be about 1%. In its latest “Outlook for Business” report, the firm’s analysts describe world output and trade as “recovering rapidly” and maintain their view that exports and other sources [...]
Business group, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said the UK economy is in for a “sluggish” recovery this year, predicting growth of just 1% in 2010 and 2.5% in 2011. The forecasts are slightly below the Government’s target of 1.25% this year and 3.5% for 2011. Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, comments: [...]
The latest quarterly report from the Ernst & Young Item Club is forecasting “a decade of pain” for the UK economy, with growth only expected to be 1% this year. The UK economy, which has now contracted for six consecutive quarters, has been lagging behind other economies and is now the last major economy that [...]
The Ernst & Young Item Club, a respected group of economists, believes that the UK economy will struggle to achieve 1% growth next year and it is still too early to declare a recovery. The influential think tank is forecasting some growth in the latter half of 2009 but Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will struggle [...]
The UK’s housing market rally is being called into question again, this time by Ernst & Young Item Club. The economic forecasting group warns that price rises seen in recent months are a false dawn and that the average value of a home will not revisit to its 2007 peak for at least another five [...]
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) is joining many other leading think tanks by forecasting a slow recovery in the UK. The research body is expecting total UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to fall 4.3% this year before experiencing modest growth of 1% next year and 1.8% the year after. The forecasts [...]
The director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost, has warned that small and medium size businesses (SMEs) are particularly vulnerable to the swine flu. Mr Frost told Sky News: “After a dramatic decline in the economy there is a touch more confidence coming back. But if swine flu does really take off [...]
The Ernst & Young Item Club, the influential think-tank, said the UK economy is heading for a ‘fragile recovery’ and is predicting that the economy will contract by 4.5% this year – the biggest fall in any year since 1945. The prediction is far more pessimistic than the one from the Government who is forecasting [...]
The CBI said today that the worst of the recession is over since it took a deeper grasp than expected in the first quarter of 2009. However, the expectation is that the economy will slow more gently in the second part of the year. The group was keen to stress that despite the worst being [...]
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today show that unemployment in the UK reached 1.92 million in the three months to November – the highest level since September 1997 and takes the unemployment rate to 6.1%. However and worryingly, the figures do not include the redundancies announced at the end of last [...]
According to the Ernst & Young Item Club, unemployment in the UK is to rise to 3.4 million in 2011. The prediction comes from Ernst & Young’s quarterly report on the UK economy and is also forecasting that Gross Domestic Product will shrink by 2.7% this year, the sharpest contraction in over 60 years. Last [...]
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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