The Commerce Department today revealed US retail sales grew at their quickest pace in seven months in September. According to the Department, sales gained 1.1% on a monthly basis – boosted by clothing and car sales. The figures were better than the 0.7% rise expected by analysts. Furthermore, August retail sales were revised up to [...]
Debenhams, which is Britain’s second largest department store after John Lewis, has today exceeded market expectations after reporting growth of 0.4% in the nine week period to the end of August on a like-for-like basis. The retailing giant said aggressive summer discounting and promotions had helped increase its market share. The company said growth came [...]
British banking giant Barclays has today kicked off the reporting season by announcing better profits than analysts had forecast. The bank posted pre-tax profits of £6.07 billion for the 2010 year – a rise of 32% compared with £4.59 billion in the previous year. Meanwhile, the bank said it lent over £43 billion to UK [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) today elected to keep interest rates on hold at the record low of 1% for the 20th consecutive month. The move came despite inflation exceeding the Bank’s target. Earlier this week, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat revealed inflation in the euro zone rose more than expected in January. Inflation [...]
Brazil, which is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, has admitted that inflation is spiralling out of control. As a result, the central bank has lifted its key interest rate half a percentage point to 11.25% in a bid to tame inflation, which at 5.91% exceeds the Government’s target of 4.5%. The interest rate, [...]
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 reporting season for US banks has got off to a flying start after JPMorgan announced income surged 47% in the fourth quarter. Fourth-quarter profit increased to $4.8 billion, or $1.12 a share, from $3.3 billion, or 74 cents a share, compared with the year ago period. Analysts expected $1 a share. Meanwhile, revenue grew [...]
The European Union’s statistics office Eurostat has today revealed inflation in the euro zone rose more than expected in December. Inflation rose 2.2% on an annual basis in December, up from 1.9% the previous month and represented the first time since October 2008 that it had exceeded the European Central Bank’s (ECB) target of just [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has today revealed sales of previously owned homes rose more than expected in November, offering hope that the housing market may slowly be recovering from its slump. The industry body said sales grew 5.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual unit rate of 4.68 million, up from October’s 4.43 million [...]
A survey showed today consumer confidence remains at low levels with the GfK NOP December consumer confidence index unchanged at -21. While it was marginally better than the -22 expected by analysts, it is two points lower than this time last year. Meanwhile, the survey’s “climate for major purchases” index surged ahead by 10 points, [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed US retail sales grew for the fifth consecutive month in November. Sales grew by 0.8% – exceeding the 0.5% expected by economists and will boost hopes that the economic recovery picked up pace in the final quarter of the year. High unemployment remains a major concern in the world’s largest [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed US retail sales grew by a better than expected 1.2% last month – this followed an increase of 0.7% in September. The rise, which was the fourth consecutive monthly gain, was fuelled by an increase in car sales. Retail sales figures are closely watched because consumer spending accounts for approximately [...]
Swiss banking giant UBS has today reported a net profit of SwFr1.66 billion (£1.1 billion) for the July to September period – exceeding analysts’ expectations. The figures compare with a loss of SwFr564 million for the third quarter a year ago. For the first time since the financial crisis, the bank said it restored client [...]
The EU statistics agency Eurostat has revealed the euro zone economy grew by 1% in the April to June period – boosted by its largest economy – Germany. Economic growth in the 16 nations that use the euro beat expectations, and followed growth of 0.2% in the first quarter and exceeded forecasts of 0.7%. Meanwhile, [...]
Figures have today revealed Europe’s largest economy grew by a record 2.2% in the second quarter – the fastest quarterly growth in 20 years. The figures smashed analysts forecasts who had expected growth of around 1%. Meanwhile, on an annul basis, economic growth soared by 4.1%. Furthermore, first quarter growth has been revised upwards from [...]
Chinese inflation continued to increase last month as devastating floods drove up the price of food as crops were wiped out. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the closely-watched consumer price index rose 3.3% in July against 2.9% in June. A spokesperson for the Bureau said the rise was primarily due to “dramatic [...]
According to a study by professional services firm Deloitte, 76% of companies in the UK, US and Europe have exceeded City forecasts when reporting their second quarter profits. As a result of the findings of the study which looked at 543 firms, Deloitte said companies are making “real progress” but warned that consumer incomes and [...]
The CIPS/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity slowed further in July. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI dipped slightly from 57.6 in June to 57.3 in July. However, the reading exceeded forecasts of 57.0 and is still close to May’s 15-year high of 58.1. Furthermore, the sector has now expanded [...]
The UK’s banking reporting season has got off to a flying start today after banking giant HSBC reported profits more than doubled, exceeding analysts expectations. Europe’s largest bank has today announced a pre-tax profit of $11.1 billion (£7 billion) for the six months to the end of June, compared with $5 billion in the same [...]
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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