Indonesia, which is Southeast Asia’s largest economy, experienced growth of 6.1% in 2010 compared with the previous year. This represented the fastest annual rate for six years – boosted by consumer spending and investment. The figures made it among the best performers in the G20 developing countries and the economy is now on track to [...]
The G20 group of nations have agreed to avoid “competitive devaluation” of currencies in what has been regarded as a tense summit in Seoul, South Korea. Most notably were the tensions between the US and China. The US has previously expressed dissatisfaction that China is keeping the value of the yuan low to help its [...]
The Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, is urging the group of G20 nations to address the issue of trade imbalances. His comments echoed those of the US who said it wants the G20 group of nations to agree to curtail “excessive imbalances” in world trade. Mr King said: “We are very much in the [...]
Several topics are set to be high on the agenda at today’s G20 gathering in South Korea. The group of G20 nations, which accounts for about 85% of the global economy, comprise the world’s 19 leading national economies (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, [...]
Chinese inflation continued to increase in October, driven by higher food prices. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the closely-watched consumer price index rose 4.4% in October, up from 3.6% in September. Not only was the rate higher than analysts had expected, it represented the fastest pace since September 2008 – at the [...]
A gathering of finance ministers and central bankers in Gyeongju, South Korea, has taken place this weekend and high on the agenda was the threat of a currency war. The currency issue was left unresolved earlier this month after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meeting in Washington failed to reach an [...]
China faced renewed pressure at this weekend’s G20 summit Toronto, Canada, after a draft said: “Emerging surplus economies will undertake reforms tailored to country circumstances to… enhance rate flexibility.” Beijing has previously ruled out a one-off appreciation of its currency and has previously said keeping the yuan stable is “an important contribution” to global recovery. [...]
This weekend’s G20 summit, held in Toronto, Canada, saw more than 400 protesters arrested. Four police cars were set alight, while shop windows were broken with baseball bats and hammers, according to reports. Similar protests have occurred during the summit in past years and this year was no different as demonstrators came in their droves [...]
The Bank of England’s semi-annual Financial Stability Report, which has been published today, warned that UK banks are still at risk as a result of the euro zone debt crisis. While the report praised the €750 billion rescue package, agreed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it said ongoing “market pressures” [...]
G20 finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s top 20 developed and emerging economies have met in South Korea this weekend and have said excessive budget deficits should be dealt with immediately. The agenda was believed to be discussing the need for common standards across financial markets, including a global bank tax – [...]
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s top 20 developed and emerging economies are meeting this weekend in Busan, South Korea, with the euro zone debt crisis set to be high on the agenda. Markets have been in turmoil in recent months by worries over the debt crisis. The crisis led to the [...]
The finance ministers of the G20 group of developed and emerging economies issued optimism about the global economic recovery, after it met on April 23 in Washington, D.C. An announcement after the meeting stated that the global economy is emerging faster than expected from its worst recession since World War II. According to the G20 [...]
Over the weekend, G20 finance ministers at St Andrews in Fife reached an agreement to maintain financial support until recovery is ensured. The agreement was reached following concerns over rising unemployment and unsteady growth which saw finance ministers from developing and rich countries vow to keep fiscal measures in place until global recovery is assured. [...]
A meeting of G20 finance ministers at St Andrews in Fife saw an agreement to maintain financial support until recovery is ensured. The agreement was reached following concerns over rising unemployment and unsteady growth which saw finance ministers from developing and rich countries vow to keep fiscal measures in place until global recovery is assured. [...]
At last week’s G20 summit, the world’s leading nations agreed to “tough new regulations”. Following the summit, which took place in Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday, US President Barack Obama announced that in order to prevent another financial crisis: “We have agreed tough new financial regulations to ensure that the reckless few can no longer [...]
Sterling fell this morning to a near four-month low to $1.5917 against the US dollar before creeping back up to $1.5989. The level was the lowest seen since early June after G20 leaders said stimulus packages will remain until a recovery is sustainable. However, the pound is still currently higher than the low levels of [...]
Banker bonuses are an “ethical problem” on which Europe should place limits even if America does not, Jose-Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, claimed this week. “It would be interesting, important, useful to have if possible the same rules [across] the world [and] to have the Americans at our side,” Barroso said in an [...]
France’s proposal of a series of mandatory caps on bank bonuses was rejected at this weekend‘s meeting of G20 finance ministers. While the proposals made by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, received strong European support, UK Chancellor Alistair Darling dismissed them as “unenforceable”. Instead, the G20 group of leading economies have agreed on new regulatory measures [...]
A meeting today of European finance leaders unveiled details of plans to clamp down on excessive bank bonuses. The issue will also be high on the agenda at the G20 finance ministers’ meeting this weekend and will be a priority in the full G20 meeting in Pittsburgh in late September. Earlier this week, Prime Minister [...]
The topic of bank bonuses continues to hit the headlines with Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggesting a possible cap on bonuses within the banking industry, and indicating that bonuses should be based on long-term success. The PM added that banks should be able to “claw back” bonuses if the bank later performed poorly. Mr Brown [...]
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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