In its New Year report the CBI has called on UK businesses to increase their export activity to help the UK re-balance its economy. The CBI believes that this could boost the UK’s economy by £20 billion over the next eight years. The organisation is also calling on the private sector to invest £140 billion [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK trade deficit narrowed in August as export values hit an all-time high and imports fell. The goods trade gap shrank to £7.77 billion in August from £8.15 billion the previous month, said the ONS. Total exports of goods reached £25.5 billion, led by fuels [...]
Official data has revealed unemployment in Germany dropped to its lowest level in more than 20 years in September. The country’s unemployment rate fell from August’s rate of 7% to 6.6%. Unemployment now stands at 2.79 million – the first time since 1992 that the jobless total has been below 2.8 million. It was also [...]
Official figures today revealed Japan’s exports rose in August for the first time in six months – suggesting the world’s third largest economy is continuing its recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami which struck in March. According to the Ministry of Finance, exports were 2.8% higher last month on an annual basis but this [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed US exports hit an all-time high in July, while imports fell. According to official figures, exports surged 3.8% to $178 billion (£111 billion) after two months of declines. The rise in exports was attributed to strong overseas sales of manufactured goods, particularly to countries in Central and South America. Meanwhile, [...]
The Cabinet Office has today revealed the world’s third largest economy performed worse than originally thought in the April to June period. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 2.1% on an annual basis in the three-month period, compared with an initial estimate of 1.3%. The fall was attributed to a cut back on spending by [...]
Statistics office Destatis has today revealed German exports and imports fell in July – more than expected. According to Destatis, exports fell by 1.8% in July on a monthly basis compared with a 1.2% drop in June. Economists had forecast a 0.1% fall for the month. The sharp fall in exports will be of grave [...]
Manufacturing activity in China grew for the first time in four months in August, two separate surveys have revealed. Firstly, the official China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged higher to 50.9 last month from July’s reading of 50.7. The index remains just above the crucial 50 level, [...]
The National Statistical Coordination Board has revealed the Philippine economy grew at an annual rate of 3.4% in the second quarter – slowing from an annual growth of 4.6% in the previous quarter. The expansion was less than the 4.4% expected by economists. Compared with the previous three months, the economy, which is South East [...]
Official figures today revealed Japan’s exports fell more than expected last month resulting in the country’s second consecutive month of trade surplus. According to the Ministry of Finance, exports were 3.3% lower on an annual basis in July – the fifth consecutive monthly fall – and lower than forecasts of a 2.4% fall. The figures [...]
Japan’s economy performed better than in expected in the second quarter, suggesting the country is slowly recovering after the earthquake and tsunami, which struck in March. According to the Cabinet Office, the economy contracted by 0.3% in the April to June period – less than the 0.7% expected by analysts. On an annual basis, meanwhile, [...]
The US trade deficit swelled in June to $53.1 billion (£32.9 billion) from an upwardly revised $50.8 billion the previous month, as exports slumped. The deficit was much higher than the $48 billion expected by analysts. According to the Commerce Department, the trade deficit rose to the highest level since October 2008. Exports fell by [...]
South Korea, which is Asia’s fourth largest economy, has experienced growth of 3.4% in the second quarter on an annual basis, down from 4.2% in the previous quarter, according to official data today. Meanwhile, quarter-on-quarter growth was 0.8%, down from 1.3% as exports slowed and manufacturing weakened. “Private consumption steadily increased and facilities investment rose. [...]
Official figures today revealed Japan’s exports recovered last month as the economy starts to rebound from the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which hit on 11 March. Exports rose by 5.4% on a monthly basis but were 1.6% lower on an annual basis – but this represented the slowest fall in four months. Analysts had forecast [...]
The US trade deficit swelled in May to $50.2 billion (£31.7 billion) from $43.6 billion the previous month, as oil imports surged. According to the Commerce Department, the trade deficit rose to the highest level since October 2008. Exports fell by 0.5% on a monthly basis to $174.9 billion, while imports rose by 2.6% on [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit widened in May to £8.48 billion from a revised £7.6 billion in April. The figures surprised economists who had expected the trade gap to narrow to £7.3 billion. Meanwhile, the ONS said exports rose by 4.2% on a monthly basis to £25.4 [...]
Statistics office Destatis has today revealed German exports and imports recovered in May, giving a trade balance of €14.8 billion from €10.8 billion the previous month. According to Destatis, exports were 4.3% higher on the month at €92.1 billion (£82 billion), higher than forecasts of a 1.5% rise and recovering from April’s fall of 5.6%. [...]
Consumers holding back on borrowing
Personal loan, credit card and overdraft borrowing is being repaid at the highest rate since January 2011. The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) reported net consumer credit repayments of £305 million in February. Consumers borrowed £7 billion on credit cards but £7.3 billion was repaid. The ongoing squeeze on household incomes is making consumers more careful [...]
Land Registry reports fall in multi-million home sales
The number of £2m-plus homes sold in England and Wales fell to 103 in December 2011, 18 per cent lower than the figure for December 2010. Eighty of the £2m-plus properties sold during the month were located in London, where prices have been rising faster than in other parts of the UK. The most popular [...]
OFT updates guidelines for debt management firms
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has today published new guidelines for firms offering debt management advice or credit repair services to consumers. Complaints about debt management firms have increased significantly in recent years; 546 complaints were made to the Financial Ombudsman Service last year compared with 463 in 2010. The complaints included concern over [...]
ABI warns homeowners to watch out for subsidence
The UK has suffered the driest 18 months since records and with the south east and east Anglia already officially in a state of drought the Association of British Insurers (ABI) is warning home owners to be aware of the risk of subsidence. Changing water levels in the ground can cause movement in the foundations [...]
Budget brings bad news for pensioners
Changes announced in today’s budget mean that four million pensioners will be worse off. The budget included controversial proposals to lower the income tax allowance for people over 65 to £9,205 from April. This will bring pensioners in line with the general population. The over 65s currently benefit from a more generous tax-free allowance of [...]
Chancellor announces budget that rewards work
Delivering his third Budget, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, said that it would help those who aspired to do better for themselves and for their families. ‘Britain is going to earn its way in the world’ he said. He promised far reaching tax reform, creating a system that was simple to understand for ordinary [...]
Nationwide restricts interest-only mortgages
The Nationwide Building Society has become the latest lender to tighten lending criteria on interest-only mortgages, which are estimated to account for around 40 per cent of mortgages in Britain. The building society currently offers interest-only mortgages to residential customers with 25 per cent equity in their property. From tomorrow, only customers with 50 per [...]
The latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that inflation fell to 3.4 per cent in February, from 3.6 per cent in the previous month, according to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Using the Retail Prices Index (RIP) measurement, which includes housing costs such a mortgage interest and council tax, inflation [...]
Property prices up 5% in March
UK house prices increased by £3,687 to £236,939 in March, a 4.9 per cent increase compared with the 2011 first quarter. The figures, from Rightmove’s house price index, represent the largest first-quarter rise in property prices since 2004, boosting hopes for an continued improvement in the market for the rest of the year. In London, [...]
Hole in the wall use reaches record levels
The use of ATMs (automated teller machines) increased to record levels last year according to the latest figures from the Payments Council. UK customers made 2.87 billion transactions at ‘hole in the wall’ machines during the year, accounting for total withdrawals of £191 billion, an average of £67 per visit. The represented the highest value [...]
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