The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices rose in September – driven by higher fuel and food costs. The increase will no doubt raise concern about whether consumer price inflation will slow next year as sharply as the Bank of England is forecasting. According to the ONS, output prices [...]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised key interest rates for the eleventh time since March 2010, in a bid to tame stubbornly high inflation in a thriving economy. The central bank lifted its main rate to 8% from 7.5% as inflation soars on the back of higher food and fuel prices. In a [...]
In its influential Quarterly Bulletin, the Bank of England said interest rates can be held at the historic low of 0.5% in order to prevent growth from stalling. The statement comes despite inflation being more than double the target of 2% and many business groups are calling on the bank to lift rates to combat [...]
Statistics Korea has today announced the inflation rate has jumped to a 29-month high – driven by higher food and fuel costs. According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index rose by 4.7% in March on an annual basis. The rate is now at the higher end of the central bank’s 2%-4% target. On a [...]
The Commerce Department has today reported a rise in consumer spending in the US for the month of February – due, in part, to higher food and energy costs. Spending grew 0.7% in the month after a 0.3% increase in January. February’s figure represented the fastest pace for four months but this was attributed to [...]
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 [...]
British retailing giant, Marks and Spencer (M&S) today reported half-year pre-tax profits of £348.8 million in the 26 weeks to October 2 – a rise of almost 17% compared with a year earlier. The 126-year-old retailer which sells clothes, food and homewares, said earnings after tax grew by 16.4% to £261.2 million Sales, meanwhile, increased [...]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has raised its key interest rate from 4% to 4.5% in a bid to combat rising inflation. It is the fourth such increase this year and economists had only expected a rise to 4.25%. Inflation rose to 10.55% in June and the latest interest rate hike is a fresh [...]
Ethical investors in Wales are being given the opportunity to invest in an organic market garden. The 10-acre site will supply fresh produce – including vegetables, salads, and fruit – for Cardiff’s Riverside Market and a vegetable box scheme. The social enterprise will have an estimated turnover of £170,000 and will provide enough vegetables to [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to 3.7% in April – the highest level in 17 months and far exceeding the 2% target. Furthermore, the increase was much higher than analysts’ expectations. The rise was boosted by food, fuel and clothing price gains. Annual food inflation reached [...]
Official data has revealed US consumer prices rose by a slower-than-expected 0.2% in January. On an annual basis, prices were up 2.6% – also below expectations. The increase was the result of a hike in energy prices, which rose for the ninth month in a row. Over the last year, energy prices have soared 19.1%, [...]
Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has today announced its best ever annual results despite the economic downturn. The group, which has more than 700 pubs across the UK, said takings rose 1.2% in the year to 26 July, with underlying pre-tax profits up 13.6% to £66.2 million. The pub operator also reported sales of £955.1 million [...]
Pensioners over 75 saw a sharp drop in inflation last month, new figures show. Statistics released by the Alliance Trust Research Centre reveal that inflation for people in this age bracket dropped from 3.6% in May to 2.8% in June. This is the lowest rate of inflation experienced by over 75s since January 2008, although [...]
The Consumer Prices Index (CPI), a key measure of inflation, has dipped below the Bank of England’s target of 2%. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the CPI fell to an annual rate of 1.8% in June from 2.2% the previous month. The CPI hit 5.2% in September last year (a 16-year [...]
US consumer prices have fallen by 0.1 percent last month, whilst the Federal Reserve forecasts indicate that inflation will continue to fall, as the consumer price index (CPI) decreased 0.1 percent compared with the 0.1 percent increase forecast by analysts. In the 12 months between March 2008 and March 2009 prices have fallen by 0.4 [...]
Given the expansion of supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl and the profitability by Sainsbury’s, it is clear who the winners of the credit crunch are. However the losers are those who have experienced 15 consecutive years of extraordinary growth. The Soil Association’s 2009 Organic Market Report said that although organic sales have risen by [...]
UK adults aged under 35 have cut their yearly living expenses by £826 more than the over 55s, according to research by Abbey savings. Brits aged 18-34 have managed to cut an average of £3,599 from their annual outgoings since the start of the credit crunch. By comparison, the over 55s have cut annual spending [...]
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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