The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has today raised key interest rates for the thirteenth time since March 2010, in a bid to tame stubbornly high inflation. The central bank lifted its main rate to 8.5% from 8.25% as inflation soars on the back of higher food and fuel prices and the measures were widely [...]
The German Government has today slashed its growth forecasts for the euro zone’s largest economy. The Government said it now expected the economy to expand by 1% in 2012, down from an earlier estimate of 1.8%. Meanwhile, this year’s forecast has been lowered slightly to 2.9% from 3%. Its downgrade comes just a week after [...]
The Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its growth prospects for Asia amid the euro zone debt crisis and sluggish US growth. The IMF is now forecasting growth for Asia of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.7% in 2012. This is slightly lower than the 7% growth for both years it estimated in April. According [...]
According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), more public sector job losses are being axed than originally forecast. The employers group said 610,000 jobs in the sector will be lost between 2010/11 and 2015/16 – one third more than the 410,000 the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) originally predicted. The group is [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has today revealed confidence among German firms fell for the third consecutive month in September. The closely-watched Business Climate Index dipped to 107.5 this month from August’s reading of 108.7 – this represented the lowest level since June 2010. However, the fall was not as bad as the 106.5 economists [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK unemployment rose sharply in the three months to July – the biggest rise in almost two years. The ONS said unemployment rose by 80,000 in the three month period to 2.51 million – far higher than the 70,000 expected by economists. The latest figures take [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today opted to leave interest rates unchanged at 1.5% – for the second consecutive month. Rates were lifted from the historic low of 1% in April and then raised further to 1.25% in July in a bid to curb rising inflation. Many major economies are battling with higher inflation, [...]
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 [...]
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revised its growth forecasts for major economies. The US, which is the world’s largest economy, is expected to see growth in the third quarter of 1.1% and 0.4% in the fourth – this is far lower than the previous estimates of 2.9% and 3%. However, [...]
Recovery of the UK economy is to remain sluggish, with GDP slowing to 0.2% in the June to August period, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predicts. This compares with a 0.6% rate in the three months to July. The influential think tank believes if the weakness continues, the Bank of England [...]
There have been fears of late that the US economy could fall back into recession this year but the Obama administration does not envisage this and is predicting growth of 1.7% this year – albeit 1% less than its forecast earlier this year. Official data from the Commerce Department show the economy grew by just [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today revised its growth prospects for the UK economy. The lobby group is now forecasting growth of just 1.1% this year, down from its 1.3% forecast in June and much lower than the 1.9% it estimated at the start of the year. Meanwhile, it is expecting growth of [...]
US banking giant Morgan Stanley today downgraded its forecast for global economic growth, sending stock markets falling throughout the world. The American bank lowered its expectations for world growth for the 2011 year to 3.9% from 4.5%, while also downgrading 2012 growth to 3.8% from 4.5%. The downgrade sent shockwaves through stock markets as double-dip [...]
Germany, which is the euro zone’s largest economy, has today reported slower growth for the second quarter. According to figures from Destatis, the German economy grew by just 0.1% in the April to June period – much less than the 0.5% expected by analysts. The figures will undoubtedly be a disappointment since Germany has been [...]
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has slashed its growth forecast after flood and cyclone disaster damaged the economy. The economy, dubbed the “wonder from down under” has recently experienced a slowdown after the disasters led to a fall in coal and agricultural exports and resulted in the economy contracting in the first quarter – [...]
India, which is Asia’s third largest economy, has lowered its growth forecast for the current fiscal year to March 2012 to 8.2% from 9%. The revision comes amid global uncertainty and a series of interest rate hikes to combat stubbornly high inflation. Last week, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised key interest rates for [...]
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has today revised its growth prospects for the UK Economy. The employer’s group is now forecasting growth of 1.3% this year, down from its May forecast of 1.7%. Meanwhile, it is still expecting growth of 2.2% in 2012 – unchanged from its previous forecast. The CBI has also suggested [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK public sector borrowing rose last month. According to the ONS, public sector net borrowing rose to £14 billion last month compared with £13.6 billion June 2010. The figure was higher than analysts’ expectations and was attributed to a fall in income tax receipts. The figure [...]
Respected think tank, Ernst & Young ITEM Club, has lowered its growth forecast for the UK economy after warning that the UK is at a “critical juncture”. The ITEM Club now believes the UK economy will expand by 1.4% this year, down from an earlier estimate of 1.8%. Furthermore, it is predicting growth of 2.2% [...]
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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