Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, has warned that the world’s largest economy is facing a national crisis due to its high unemployment rate, which currently stands at 9.1%. Earlier this month, the US Labor Department revealed the economy added no new jobs last month, which was a surprise after markets had expected 70,000 new jobs. [...]
There is further evidence of a slowdown in the world’s largest economy after retail sales stagnated last month. Sales were flat from the month earlier after July’s figure was revised down to 0.3% from 0.5%. August’s figure was also worse than expected after car sales fell and excluding this item, sales rose just 0.1%. However, [...]
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 latest Beige Book report, published by the Federal Reserve today, has revealed widespread signs that US economic growth continues to slow. The Fed said: “Economic activity continued to expand at a modest pace, though some districts noted mixed or weakening activity.” The economic recovery of the US remains sluggish in the face of higher [...]
Figures from the US Labor Department have revealed US wholesale price inflation rose last month on the back of rising tobacco and light motor truck prices. According to the Labor Department, the cost of finished goods rose 0.2% in July, with fresh fruit, beef and veal all attributing to pushing up the rate of inflation. [...]
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), elected to keep interest rates on hold between 0% and 0.25% yesterday. Rates have been at the record low since December 2008 and the Fed has announced it will hold rates at this historic low until 2013 – suggesting the central bank is concerned [...]
The latest Beige Book report, published by the Federal Reserve, has revealed widespread signs that US economic growth is slowing. The Fed said: “Economic activity continued to grow; however, the pace has moderated in many districts.” The economic recovery of the US remains sluggish in the face of higher unemployment and a depressed housing market, [...]
The Federal Reserve yesterday opted to keep interest rates at the record low of between 0% and 0.25% and hinted that they will stay this way for the medium-term. US interest rates have now been at this rate since December 2008 in an effort to stimulate economic growth. The US central bank also lowered its [...]
Ben Bernanke, chairman of US central bank, the Federal Reserve, said he expects economic growth to be between 3.1% and 3.3% for the 2011 year – lower than a previous forecast of 3.4% to 3.9%. Mr Bernanke said the reduced growth was the result of lower defence spending, slower exports and bad weather. At a [...]
The Labor Department has today revealed US prices rose by 2.1% on an annual basis in February – up from 1.6% in January. On a monthly basis, prices rose by 0.5% – the fastest rise since June 2009, driven by higher oil and food costs. Food costs rose by 0.6% month-on-month, the most in two-and-a-half [...]
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), elected to keep interest rates on hold between 0% and 0.25% yesterday – a move which was widely expected. Interest rates have been held at this historic low for two years. In a statement, the central bank said that the economic recovery is on [...]
Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke, has warned that a prolonged rise in oil prices would pose a danger to economic growth in the US. Speaking to the Senate Banking Committee, Mr Bernanke’s comments come after Brent crude hit $119 a barrel – a two-and-a half-year high. There have also been fears about the impact on [...]
Minutes from the December 14 policy meeting have revealed that US central bank, the Federal Reserve, will press ahead with its $600 billion (£385 billion) stimulus programme. The fresh round of stimulus comes despite improvements in the world’s largest economy, the minutes revealed. Many economists suggested that the strengthening recovery would result in the Fed [...]
US industrial production recovered in November – rising by 0.4% after a 0.2% contraction in October. The result beat expectations of a forecast of 0.3% and represented the biggest gain since July. Meanwhile, the Labor Department today revealed consumer prices slowed in November. The Consumer Price Index edged up 0.1% – slightly below the forecast [...]
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the FOMC, elected to keep interest rates on hold between 0% and 0.25% – a move which was widely expected. The Federal Open Market Committee also reaffirmed its commitment to buy $600 million in Government bonds – a policy which was branded “QE2“ (quantitative easing) and designed to boost the [...]
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the FOMC, is scheduled to announce its decision on monetary policy today, with economists expecting no change in interest rates or to its quantitative easing programme. Last month, the Federal Open Market Committee, opted to restart its stimulus programme. The measures, introduced to stimulate the economic recovery, saw the central [...]
The core measure of inflation in the US slowed further last month, posting a 0.6% annual rise – the lowest year-on-year gain on record and way below the Federal Reserve’s target of about 2%. Core prices, which exclude food and energy costs, have now remained flat for three consecutive months, the Labor Department said today. [...]
The Labor Department has revealed the world’s largest economy added 151,000 new jobs last month. The news was gratefully received after concerns of a sluggish recovery, which led the Federal Reserve to introduce a fresh round of stimulus this week. However, the latest figures means the unemployment rate continues to hold steady at 9.6% – [...]
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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Fed Chairman comments on unemployment and deficit
Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has warned that stubbornly high unemployment will remain. Mr Bernanke said the weak labour market means a recovery is not yet “truly established.” His comments come despite the drop in the US unemployment rate last month. Last week, the Labor Department reported the unemployment rate in the US fell from [...]