Inflation in the world’s second largest economy eased last month after reaching a 3-year high in July. According to the National Statistics Bureau, consumer prices rose by 6.2% in August on an annual basis, compared with 6.5% the previous month. Several other economies throughout the world are battling with higher inflation, particularly in Asia, 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 Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has today elected to keep UK interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5%, as widely expected. Interest rates have now been at this low level since March 2009 – when the economy was in the midst of recession. Recent figures show the economy [...]
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) commenced its two-day rate-setting meeting yesterday and interest rates are expected to remain on hold at the record low of 0.5% – where they have been since March 2009. The bank is presented with a dilemma as it comes under pressure to raise interest rates to combat [...]
Savers have once again been hit after Government-backed National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has announced its index-linked bond has been withdrawn from the market. NS&I, which runs Premium Bonds and a variety of savings products, said its index-linked bond (which gives savers protection against inflation) has been pulled. NS&I’s website and call centres ceased accepting [...]
Manufacturing activity in China grew for the first time in four months in August, two separate surveys have revealed. Firstly, the official China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said its purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged higher to 50.9 last month from July’s reading of 50.7. The index remains just above the crucial 50 level, [...]
Brazil’s central bank has cut the country’s key interest rate to 12% from 12.5% – a move which surprised economists. However, the bank said there had been a “substantial deterioration” in the outlook for the global economy and that was its reason for the rate cut. One analyst said the rate cut is a “huge [...]
Statistics Korea has today revealed South Korea’s inflation rate jumped to a three-year high of 5.3% in August as food costs continued to rise. The rate is up from 4.7% in July and represents the eighth consecutive month that inflation has been above the central bank’s target of 4%. Inflationary pressures are rife throughout the [...]
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 [...]
According to the finance ministry, India’s economy expanded by 7.7% in the April to June period – much slower than the 8.8% growth in the same period a year earlier. It was the weakest growth in six quarters and was attributed to a slowdown in construction activity. Construction saw an increase of just 1.2% during [...]
UK retail sales volumes fell in August, at the fastest pace for over a year, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reports. In a new quarterly survey, 46% of retailers said they had experienced falling sales in the two weeks to mid-August (compared with a year earlier) and the level of negativity registered over prospects [...]
The vacancy rate for shops across Britain’s High Streets and shopping centres stands at over 11%, according to new research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Northern Ireland (17.1%), Wales (13.4%) and the North and Yorkshire (13.1%) recorded the highest vacancy rates, as overall footfall between May and July 2011 fell 1% compared with a [...]
Figures from the US Labor Department have revealed US wholesale price inflation rose last month on the back of rising tobacco and light motor truck prices. According to the Labor Department, the cost of finished goods rose 0.2% in July, with fresh fruit, beef and veal all attributing to pushing up the rate of inflation. [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s August 3-4 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%. For several months, Martin Weale and Spencer Dale have been lone voices on the Committee by voting to hike [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.4% last month after easing to 4.2% in June. Analysts had expected the figure to rise slightly to 4.3%. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs – which grew by 6.2% in July, while clothes [...]
In its latest assessment of the UK economy, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said growth will be around 1.5% this year. The Washington-based Fund warned that stubbornly high inflation continues to be a threat to the economy and is forecasting inflation to remain well above the 4% mark in 2011 before falling to 2% [...]
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 [...]
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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