Statistics Korea today said South Korea’s industrial output has expanded at its fastest pace since September 2009. Output grew by 4.6% in January compared with December, while on an annual basis, output grew by 13.7% – much higher than the 10.6% annual gain posted in December. The figures easily beat analysts expectations of a 1.4% [...]
Taylor Wimpey, which was formed by the merger of Taylor Woodrow and George Wimpey, today said it had returned to profitability but remains cautious. The housebuilder, which is the country’s third largest by value, said pre-tax profit before exceptional items came in at £75.1 million for the 2010 year – against a loss of £96.1 [...]
Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, has today revealed German retail sales grew for a second consecutive month in January. According to Destatis, retail sales rose 2.6% in January on an annual basis – boosted by falling unemployment. Earlier this week, the Federal Labour Office said there was a further fall in the number of people out [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK construction activity surged to an eight-month high in February. The PMI rose to 56.5 in February, up from January’s 53.7 – confounding analysts expectations of a drop to 52.9. The index remains above the crucial 50 mark, which [...]
The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals rose in January. According to the Bank, there were 45,723 loans approved in the month, up from December’s 42,719 – a month when the country was hit by the coldest weather in more than a century. The level of approvals easily beat analysts forecasts of a [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) today said its Pending Home Sales Index fell in January. On a monthly basis, the index fell to 88.9, from a downwardly revised 91.5 in the previous month and was lower than the reading of 89.5 expected by economists. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur [...]
HSBC has today posted pre-tax profits of $19 billion (£11.8 billion) for the 2010 year, compared with $7.1 billion for the 2009 year. While the banking giant saw profits double, the results disappointed investors as they were slightly below the $20 billion analysts had expected. Shares in the bank were up 2% prior to the [...]
The Labor Department has today revealed the US Consumer Price Index, the core rate of inflation, rose by 1.6% on an annual basis in January. However, the rate is still within the central bank’s target of closer to 2%. On a monthly basis, prices rose by 0.2% – the largest gain since October 2009 – [...]
Europe’s largest economy, Germany, looks set to be continuing its strong recovery after Federal Statistical Office, Destatis, reported the economy grew by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. For the 2010 year, the economy expanded by 3.6%, said Destatis. However, both figures were slightly below forecasts with economists expecting quarterly growth of 0.5% and annual growth [...]
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 [...]
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has today reported an almost doubling in profits for the 2010 year. The Anglo-Dutch firm, which is Britain’s second largest oil company, said profits soared 90% to $18.6 billion (£11.5 billion) compared with $9.8 billion in 2009. The rise was attributed to higher oil prices and rising output. Production levels [...]
The latest survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) has revealed a rise in US factory output. According to the ISM, the manufacturing activity index rose to 60.8 in January, from December’s 58.5. The reading, which was the highest since May 2004, was better than analysts expected and drove US stocks up to a [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK construction activity recovered last month on the back of better weather. The PMI rose to 53.7 in January, up from December’s 49.1 – which represented the first fall in 10 months due to the severe wintry weather during [...]
The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals slumped in December – to the lowest level since March 2009 – when the economy was in the midst of recession. According to the Bank, there were 42,563 loans approved in the month, down from November’s 47,287 approvals. December’s figure was also way below analysts forecast [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity surged at a record pace in January. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI jumped to 62.0 in January from December’s upwardly revised reading of 58.7. Not only was the reading the highest since records began in 1992, [...]
Irish budget airline Ryanair has today posted a loss of €10.3 million (£8.8 million) in the October to December period, due to the severe wintry weather in Europe last month, as well as the strike action by French air traffic controllers. However, the loss was lower than the €10.9 million reported in the year ago [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) today said its Pending Home Sales Index rose in December. On a monthly basis, the index was up by 2% to 93.7 from 91.9 in November. The reading also beat expectations of a 1% rise. It also represented the fifth gain in six months, said the NAR. The data [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed a rise in sales of new homes in the US for the month of December. According to the Commerce Department, new single-family home sales rose to a better than expected annual rate of 329,000 units, from a revised 280,000 in November. However, on an annual basis, December sales were [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank today announced confidence among German firms rose in January to another record high. The closely-watched Business Climate Index rose to 110.3 in January, up from 109.8 in December – the eight consecutive monthly increase. It also represented the second straight record high since the country’s reunification in 1990 and slightly [...]
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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