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 [...]
Figures today have revealed Ireland’s economy continued to see growth in the April to June period. According to the Central Statistics Office, the economy grew by a better than expected 1.6% in the three-month period and this follows a revised 1.9% growth rate in the first quarter. This represents the first time since 2006 that [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK public sector net borrowing rose last month. According to the ONS, public sector net borrowing came in at a higher than expected £15.9 billion in August – a rise of £1.9 billion from a year ago and represented the highest for the month of August [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s September 7-8 meeting have been released today and have revealed all nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to keep interest rates at the historic low of 0.5%. This was the second consecutive month that the Committee voted unanimously to keep rates at the record low after [...]
The Zew economic sentiment index has revealed German analyst and investor confidence fell to a 2½ year low in September as the ongoing euro zone debt crisis and fears of a global slowdown dampened sentiment. The index, which measures expectations of economic activity over the next six months, fell for the seventh consecutive month to [...]
Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has today downgraded Italy’s sovereign debt by one notch to A from A+, and kept it on a negative outlook. The agency cited weak economic growth prospects, which may impact on the country’s ability to reduce its deficit. The Italian Senate recently passed a tough austerity budget, which [...]
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has today raised key interest rates for the twelfth time since March 2010, in a bid to tame stubbornly high inflation in a thriving economy. The central bank lifted its main rate to 8.25% from 8% as inflation soars on the back of higher food and fuel prices and [...]
Figures today revealed India’s wholesale price inflation rose to 9.78% last month – the highest level in a year – and significantly above the central bank’s target of between 4% and 5%. Not only was the rate up from July’s increase of 9.22%, it was also higher than expectations of a 9.70% increase. This represented [...]
The European Commission has today warned that euro zone growth will almost grind to a halt in the second half of the year. Its prediction comes amid the ongoing debt crisis in the 17-member region. It slashed growth forecasts for the third quarter to 0.2%, while growth for the final quarter has been revised down [...]
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 Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
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 [...]
Statistics office Destatis has today revealed German exports and imports fell in July – more than expected. According to Destatis, exports fell by 1.8% in July on a monthly basis compared with a 1.2% drop in June. Economists had forecast a 0.1% fall for the month. The sharp fall in exports will be of grave [...]
At a speech at the insurers Lloyd’s of London, Chancellor George Osborne has admitted that recent weak economic data had led to a downgrade in growth. Speaking at the dinner in London, the Chancellor said: “We warned repeatedly that the recovery would be choppy.” However, despite the sluggish economic recovery, the Government is sticking with [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK factory output shrank by 0.2% in July after a flat reading the previous month. The reading was worse than economists had expected and confirm weak prospects for the economy after the figures suggest a poor start to the third quarter. The fall was attributed to [...]
A group of twenty leading economists have called on the Coalition Government to scrap the top 50p tax rate as it is damaging the UK economy. The request comes at a time when many experts believe the economy could be heading towards a double-dip recession and the rate should be dropped in order to boost [...]
Leading think tank, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, believes the proposed ring-fencing of retail and investment banks will reduce economic growth. The think tank’s prediction comes just a week before the publication of the Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB’s) final report on ring-fencing. The ICB, which was established in June 2010, is considering forms [...]
Phone fraudsters stealing bank card pins
Fraudsters using a phone scam to trick bank card holders into revealing their pin numbers stole £750,000 in the first four months of this year. This is the same amount stolen through this scam in the whole of last year. The fraudster telephones a bank customer, often someone elderly or vulnerable, telling them that their [...]
FSA rules out ban on interest-only mortgages
Speculation that the Financial Services Authority would ban interest-only mortgages as part of its Mortgage Market Review has proved to be unfounded. However, lenders will be required to monitor the performance of the investment product taken out by the customer to repay the mortgage at the end of its term. Investments are performing poorly because [...]
Bank of England may end free in-credit banking
A director of the Bank of England has warned that official intervention could be considered to end the ‘dangerous myth of free in-credit banking’. Andrew Bailey has already spoken out against free banking in relation to the mis-selling of financial products. In a speech made available to media, he reiterated his concern, saying that it [...]
Bank of England votes against more economic stimulus
The Bank of England voted against a further round of quantitative easing, at its latest Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. Just one member, David Miles, voted for further asset purchase to encourage growth in the UK economy, while the other eight members voted to keep the Bank’s quantitative easing programme steady at £325bn. The minutes [...]
Catalogue debt growing says helpline
Calls from people concerned about their debts with mail order catalogues accounted for more than 12 per cent of all calls received by National Debtline last year, compared with just 8 per cent in 2007. More people were concerned about catalogue debt than about payday loans, mortgage or rent, according to the Money Advice Trust [...]
Homeserve faces mis-selling investigation
HomeServe, which provides emergency insurance cover and domestic repairs to households in the UK, is to be investigated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Issues over the possible mis-selling of household emergency policies were uncovered last October during an internal review at the Walsall-based company. Homeserve’s call centre staff were found to be selling ‘Complete [...]
OFT warns Wonga over debt collection methods
Payday loan company Wonga used aggressive and misleading methods to collect debts from customers, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found. Wonga sent letter and emails to certain customers suggesting they had committed fraud and threatening to report them to the police if they did not act in the way Wonga suggested. The company [...]
NS&I re-launches investment account
National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has re-launched its Investment Account at a higher interest rate than it previously offered. The account now offers 0.75 per cent before tax, compared with between 0.2 and 0.3 per cent previously, depending on the account balance. Deposits and withdrawals on the account can no longer be made at Post [...]
Rightmove reports property downsizing trend
Two in five property owners planning to sell in the next year are planning to ‘trade down’, compared with one in four who plan to ‘trade up’. A survey by property website Rightmove found that moving to a smaller home is the main reason for moving in nine out of the ten regions in the [...]
More people failing to save for retirement
The proportion of people with no pension savings has grown from 20 per cent to 22 per cent over the past year, according to Scottish Widows’ latest survey. The pension provider surveyed 5,200 adults in the UK, aged 30 or over, and earning at least £10,000 a year, for its annual review of pensions. Ian [...]
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