The UK economy emerged from recession yesterday and now leads the way in Europe according to research group Capital Economics. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by one per cent in the third quarter from July to September, the biggest rise for five years, the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. [...]
The Treasury and the Bank of England have revealed details of their multi-billion pound ‘funding for lending’ scheme which will begin in August and run for 18 months. The initiative is designed to make it easier and cheaper for businesses and individuals to secure loans and mortgages. It is hoped that it will help to [...]
The Bank of England has warned that the ongoing Eurozone crisis is pushing up the cost of borrowing on wholesale financial markets. This is making it more expensive for lenders to fund mortgages and they are passing the costs on to customers by increasing their mortgage rates. “In the absence of falls in funding costs, [...]
Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has secured a key agreement allowing the UK government to regulate its banks more strictly than other EU member states. The agreement was secured in Brussels between European Union finance ministers. It allows the UK to ring-fence retail banking operations from riskier investment banking operations in order to protect [...]
The UK and German economies may have reached a positive turning point, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation, which just a couple of weeks ago said that the UK was in recession. The OECD’s latest forecast is based on its composite leading indicators (CLIs), which are trusted to reliably predict the economic outlook for [...]
The Bank of England’s latest inflation attitudes survey suggests that fewer people believe inflation is being controlled effectively with interest rates. In August, when the survey was last carried out, the proportion satisfied that the Bank was doing its job to set interest rates to control inflation, versus those dissatisfied, was 16 per cent, but [...]
The UK economy is expected to contract by 1.3 per cent in 2012, according to respected economists at Standard Chartered bank. Growth of 0.6% had been predicted but Standard Chartered’s latest survey, of 350 companies, points to a sharp recession in the face of the ongoing eurozone crisis. The eurozone economy is expected to contract [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron has used his veto to block a new EU treaty proposed by France and Germany to help restore economic stability in the eurozone. The proposed changes to the Lisbon Treaty would have imposed tougher financial regulations on all members of the European Union but Mr Cameron was unwilling to support the [...]
As the leaders of the European Union’s 27 member states prepare to meet over a possible new EU treaty, the UK’s chancellor George Osborne warned a House of Lords committee that a collapse of the euro would do ‘enormous damage’ to the UK economy. Mr Osborne also stressed that the damage would be long-term. Speaking [...]
The Independent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that the income of UK households is likely to fall 7.4 per cent in three years and Britons will be no better off in 2016 than they were in 2002. The comment followed analysis of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement yesterday. The IFS expects household income, after [...]
In its latest quarterly inflation report the Bank of England warns that the UK’s economic outlook has worsened. It suggests that the economy could stagnate until the middle of next year, with growth predictions for 2011 and 2012 cut to around 1 per cent, compared with its August forecast of 1.7 per cent growth in [...]
Jobseekers in the UK have a rocky time ahead of them, with businesses expected to put expansion and recruitment plans on hold for the foreseeable future, according to new research. The latest quarterly survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development warns that the UK jobs market is facing a “slow, painful contraction”. The [...]
Brokers have noticed a rising trend on mortgage rates and are blaming it on the current crisis in the eurozone. Woolwich, Halifax and Santander, Nationwide, ING and the Chelsea Building Society have all increased tracker mortgage rates recently, reversing this summer’s trend for rates to become more competitive. The Chelsea Building Society has increased the [...]
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee is due to meet today, when it is expected to keep interest rates at a record low of 0.5 per cent, despite inflation soaring. It will be the 32nd consecutive month that the interest rate has been held at this level. According to the Consumer Price Index, inflation [...]
Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show a 0.2 per cent in UK manufacturing output in September, the first increase in four months. Compared with a year ago, factory output in September grew 2 per cent. However the figure excludes oil and gas, and mining, and when these sectors are taken into account, [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) is feeling more optimistic about growth in the eurozone, having raised its forecast for GDP growth to between 1.4% and 1.8% for 2010, and between 0.5% and 2.3% in 2011. Explaining the revision, ECB president, Jean-Claude Trichet, said: “Euro area real GDP grew strongly on a quarterly basis, increasing by [...]
In April, for the first time in 11 months, European economic confidence has increased and Governments are boosting spending and other measures are being introduced in order to minimise the impact of the recession, whilst inflation has slowed. The confidence report, which is an index of executive and consumer sentiment across the 16 nations, shows [...]
According to the European Commission, the eurozone is faced with a deep and prolonged recession and forecasted that the economy will contract by 1.9% this year and expand by just 0.4% next year. Official figures show that the 16-member nation has been in recession since September 2008. However, recovery will be seen in the second [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today cut interest rates in the eurozone by 0.5% to 2%, as expected by analysts. The reduction is the fourth time the ECB has cut rates in as many months as it endeavours to fight off a prolonged recession. Rates stood at 4.25% in September 2008. Official figures show [...]
Unemployment in the eurozone has risen to 7.7%, according to figures published by the EU’s statistics office. The rise represents the highest level for two years and highlights the severity of the economic slowdown. The lowest unemployment level among the 15 European nations was reported in Spain, where the rate increased from 12.1% to 12.8%. [...]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than [...]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. [...]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees [...]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on [...]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages [...]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit [...]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE [...]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings [...]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though [...]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
