According to figures from the Bank of England, Britons increased their financial stake in their homes by £5.8 billion in the first quarter of 2011 – the smallest injection in a year. The figure was much lower than the £7.1 billion in the October to December period in 2010 – which represented the highest since [...]
According to economists, yesterday’s services sector figures could result in the delay of interest rate hikes. Growth in the UK’s closely-watched service sector slowed in February, figures revealed yesterday. The sector accounts for around 75% of Britain’s economic output. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 52.6 in [...]
Global stock markets were lower today as investors awaited US fourth quarter economic growth figures. Analysts expect the economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.5% in the final three months of 2010, after growth of 2.6% in the third quarter. The US economic recovery appears to be gathering momentum after positive figures for the [...]
Official figures have today revealed the Japanese economy grew faster than estimated in the third quarter due to stronger corporate spending. The world’s third largest economy grew by 1.1% in the July to September period, up from the first estimate of 0.9%. On an annual basis, the economy expanded by 4.5% from an earlier estimate [...]
The good news just keeps on coming for Europe’s largest economy after the Economy Ministry today revealed industrial production rose by 2.9% in October – almost treble the 1% economists had expected. Economists described it as “a good start to the fourth quarter”. The figures indicate that Germany continues to drive the recovery of the [...]
First-time buyers (FTBs) are still struggling to get a foot on the ladder, despite a steep rise in the number of mortgage products available. Mortgage deals for those with a small deposit has doubled, according to Moneyfacts.co.uk, with more than 1,000 mortgages on the market for those with a 20% deposit or less. However, while [...]
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. [...]
Figures published by the Insolvency Service have revealed bankruptcies and personal insolvencies fell in the third quarter but nevertheless remained above pre-credit crunch levels. According to the Insolvency Service, there were 33,935 personal insolvencies in the July to September period – a fall of 3.7% compared with the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, there [...]
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined David Jones, Northern Rock’s former finance director, for the misreporting of mortgage arrears at the bank. The Watchdog has fined Mr Jones £320,000 and banned him from performing any function in relation to any regulated activity. The fine comes after former deputy chief executive, David Baker, and former [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today issued a revised reading of first quarter construction output, which could boost economic growth in the first quarter of the year. According to the ONS, construction output fell by 1.1% in the first three months of the year – lower than the 1.6% fall which the ONS [...]
Growth in the UK’s closely-watched service sector slowed in June and hit its lowest level in 10 months. The latest index from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit PMI showed a reading of 54.4 in June, down from 55.4 in May. Not only did this represent the lowest level since August last year, [...]
The CIPS/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity slowed from its 15-year high in June. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI dipped from 58 in May to 57.5 in June. The dip suggests the sector’s recovery may have peaked but it is still above the crucial 50 mark, which represents growth, [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is scheduled to announce the UK inflation rate this morning, with analysts expecting the annual rate to be around 3.5%. Last month, the ONS reported Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to a 17-month high of 3.7% in April – far exceeding the 2% target for the sixth consecutive month. [...]
Figures published by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) revealed the recession had a severe impact on personal pension contributions. According to figures, workers put £1 billion less into their personal pensions last year – the first fall since the mid 1990s and was primarily due to lower employee contributions. Higher unemployment during the period and [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed that the world’s no.1 economy grew at a slower rate in the fourth quarter than previous estimates showed. According to official figures, the US economy grew by an annualised 5.6% between the October and December period, rather than the 5.9% and the 5.7% previously estimated. For the whole of 2009, [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is scheduled to announce the UK inflation rate tomorrow morning, with analysts expecting the annual rate to be around 3.1%. Last month, the ONS reported Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to a 14-month high of 3.5% in January – a figure that was expected by analysts. The rise was [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed that the UK’s public finances deteriorated last month with net borrowing at £4.3 billion. January is traditionally a strong month for tax receipts – due to income and corporation tax, according to the ONS. However, tax income was lower than expected and it is the first [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed US housing starts increased for the month of January but building permits were down. According to the Commerce Department, construction of new US homes rose 2.8% during the month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 591,000 properties. While this represented the highest level in six months, the figures [...]
The euro zone’s woes appear to be far from over today after the area’s third largest economy, Italy, unexpectedly contracted by 0.2% in the final three months of 2009, causing concern over its economic recovery. The news comes shortly after Germany, which is the euro zone‘s largest economy, said GDP remained flat in the three [...]
Greece’s national statistics service, NSS, has today revealed the country’s unemployment rate rose from 9.8% in October to 10.6% in November. There are now more than half a million people unemployed in the country. The figures come prior to the EU summit meeting in Brussels today, which will see European leaders discuss the issues facing [...]
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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