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%. [...]
Official figures have revealed that confidence in the eurozone has fallen to its lowest level since August 1993. An indicator of executive and consumer sentiment fell from 80.0 in October to 74.9 in November, according to the European Commission in Brussels. This month’s fall was much higher than economists had predicted and takes the index [...]
Official figures show that the eurozone has fallen into recession after the economy contracted by 0.2% in the third quarter. This follows a 0.2% contraction in the previous quarter from April to June. Economists say the news is no surprise after it was announced yesterday that Germany, which is Europe’s largest economy, is now in [...]
The 15 Eurozone leaders have met in Paris this weekend and agreed on an emergency plan to prevent further financial institutions collapsing. France and Germany followed the UK by spending billions of euros to guarantee loans in leading banks in a bid to fight off financial meltdown. Banks’ reluctancy to lend to each other has [...]
According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), it is likely that the British economy will fall into recession during the second half of this year. It is expected that Britain will be the worst performer out of the world’s wealthiest nations with the economy expected to shrink by 0.3% in the third [...]
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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