The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity contracted last month. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI sank to 47.4 in October from September’s reading of 50.8. Today’s survey means the index has fallen below the crucial 50 mark – which separates growth from expansion. [...]
US consumer confidence slumped in October, the Conference Board has reported. The closely-monitored Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board dived to 39.8 this month from September’s reading of 46.4. Not only was the reading less than forecasts of a level of 46.0, it was the lowest since March 2009, when the US was in [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity bounced back last month. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI rose to 51.1 in September from August’s reading of 49.4. Activity has contracted for the last three months and today’s survey means the index has moved back [...]
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 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 [...]
US homebuilder confidence remained unchanged in August, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo sentiment index. The index showed a reading of 15 in August, unchanged from July’s reading, suggesting the US housing market remains subdued. However, the reading was in line with forecasts. The index, which first commenced more than 25 [...]
Manufacturing activity in China eased further last month, two separate surveys have revealed today. Firstly, the official China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said its purchasing managers index (PMI) fell to 50.7 last month from June’s reading of 50.9. Secondly, the HSBC China Manufacturing PMI also suggested activity is slowing with the index falling [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing contracted in July – the first time since the UK was in recession two years ago. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI fell to 49.1 last month from a revised 51.4 in June. The index is now below [...]
The latest house price index from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed house prices crept up by 0.2% in July. On an annual basis, house prices are now just 0.4% lower than this time last year with the average UK home costing £168,731. The housing market remains subdued as a lack of buyers, together with [...]
The latest survey from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed a fall in UK consumer confidence for the month of June. The building society’s consumer confidence index lost 4 points to 51 last month, which reverses some of the 11 point rise seen in May, which represented one of the largest gains on record. The [...]
The Statistics Bureau has today revealed Japan’s core consumer price index (CPI) rose by 0.6% in May on an annual basis – the second consecutive monthly rise due to higher commodity prices. The rise was higher than forecasts of a 0.5% gain and comes after the 0.6% rise in April – which represented the first [...]
The Bank of Japan’s (BoJ) closely watched quarterly Tankan survey has revealed business confidence has plunged after March’s earthquake and tsunami. The index turned negative for the first time in more than 12 months with companies gloomy about the future. The key index fell to a reading of -9 from a positive reading of 6 [...]
Greece’s debt crisis continues to knock confidence after an index by the European Commission revealed sentiment fell to 105.1 in June from 105.5 in May – the lowest reading since October 2010. The fall has been attributed to the problems in Greece as EU leaders put together a second bailout package for the crisis-torn economy. [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has revealed confidence among German firms unexpectedly rose in June. The closely-watched Business Climate Index grew to 114.5 in June from May’s reading of 114.2, confounding analysts’ expectations of a fall to 113.4. The index is now close to a record high of 115.4 recorded earlier this year. However, a [...]
The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas fell in March – the ninth consecutive monthly decline. According to the closely watched report, house prices were 0.2% lower in March on a monthly basis – albeit in line with forecasts. The index fell to 138.16, dipping below the 139.26 seen in April 2009 [...]
The Cabinet Office has today revealed Japanese consumers continue to be pessimistic following the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the north east on 11 March. The consumer confidence index dived from 38.6 in March to 33.1 last month – much worse than the 36.7 expected by analysts. Meanwhile, all the four sub-components of households’ [...]
US homebuilder confidence grew in March, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo sentiment index. The index showed a reading of 17 in March from February’s 16 – in line with forecasts, according to the Washington-based group. The reading was the highest since May 2010 and suggests the housing market is stabilising [...]
A report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG has revealed employment for both temporary and permanent workers rose during February. The survey of 400 recruitment consultancies showed permanent staff vacancies rising at their fastest level in 10 months, while demand for temporary staff saw its biggest rise since May 2007. The permanent [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has announced confidence among German firms rose in February to another record high. The closely-watched Business Climate Index climbed to 111.2 in February, up from 110.3 in January – the ninth consecutive monthly increase and the highest reading for the former West Germany since 1969. The results confounded analysts expectations [...]
Japanese consumer confidence grew for the first time in seven months in January, the Cabinet Office said today. The closely-watched consumer sentiment index climbed to 41.1 in January, from 40.1 in December. The figures suggest consumers are now more optimistic about the economic prospects after all four sub-indices of the sentiment index saw an improvement [...]
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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