The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry today revealed Japanese service sector activity slumped in March due to the earthquake and tsunami. The twin disasters, which occurred on 11 March, led to a fall in activity with the tertiary industry index, falling 6% to 93.5 from February’s 99.5. The decline is the steepest since April [...]
Official data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) today revealed UK house prices rose by 1.2% in March compared with February. On an annual basis, house prices are 0.9% higher, taking the average UK house price to £205,565. The data from the DCLG is based on mortgage completions figures collected by the [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported a rise in remortgaging loans as homeowners anticipated interest rate hikes. According to the CML, there were almost 34,000 remortgage loans advanced in March – 16% higher compared with February and a rise of 17% on an annual basis. Remortgaging has remained subdued during the historically [...]
The US trade deficit swelled in March to $48.18 billion (£29.5 billion) – up from $45.4 billion the previous month. The widening was attributed to higher prices for imported oil, the Commerce Department reported. Imports rose 4.9% to $220.8 billion, while exports grew 4.6% to a record high of $172.7 billion – the largest monthly [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK manufacturing output grew 0.3% in March on a monthly basis – much less than the 0.8% rise expected by analysts. The figure follows February’s shock fall and analysts had expected output to rebound in March. The fall was attributed to the ongoing maintenance work on [...]
Statistics office Destatis has today revealed German exports rose to a record high in March, driving its trade surplus up. Exports rose 7.3% in March on a monthly basis to €98.3 billion (£87 billion), while imports also rose to a record high, by 3.1% on a monthly basis, to €79.4 billion. A statement said: “That [...]
Latest figures from the Land Registry show house prices in England and Wales falling by 1.1% in March, marking the largest monthly decline seen since February 2009. The only region to experience a monthly rise was the North West, with an upward movement of 0.7%, while in Wales house prices tumbled by 3.3%, compared with [...]
Japanese industrial output fell by 15.3% last month – the largest ever fall as disruptions in the supply chain brought the country’s car industry to a halt. The previous record was an 8.6% fall in February 2009 – at the time of the global financial crisis – and was far worse than forecasts of an [...]
The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has today revealed a slight rise in the number of new mortgages approved by the major banks in March. According to the BBA, the number of new mortgages approved in the month stood at 31,660 – marginally better than February’s level of 30,178. However, mortgage approvals were down 10% on [...]
The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals rose in March. According to the Bank, there were 44,000 loans approved in the month, up from February’s 43,000. However, the figure remains well below the 51,000 approved in the same month a year ago. The figures come a day after the Council of Mortgage Lenders [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK public sector borrowing came in lower than expected for the fiscal year. According to the ONS, public sector net borrowing (excluding interventions such as bank bail-outs) was £18.6 billion in March, taking the total for the fiscal year 2010-11 to £141.1 billion – less than [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today reported a rise in UK retail sales for the month of March. According to the ONS, sales volumes registered a surprise rise of 0.2% on a monthly basis – driven by strong food and non-store sales. However, other sectors which performed well included garden stores and toy [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today said mortgage lending continues to remain weak, suggesting the housing market will remain subdued this year. According to the Council, gross mortgage lending for March was 2% lower in March on an annual basis. However, on a monthly basis, gross lending rose 21% to £11.3 billion, compared [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed US housing starts picked up in March but the recovery remains a long way off, according to analysts. Housing starts increased 7.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000 units, while February’s figure was revised upwards to 512,000. In the meantime, applications for building permits, a barometer of [...]
The National Bureau of Statistics has today revealed Chinese property growth eased in March. China‘s property prices have remained stubbornly high despite several Government incentives to avoid a property bubble. The country continues to grapple with high inflation in property and food prices. However, property prices slowed in March with fewer cities recording an increase, [...]
Eurostat has revealed inflation in the 17-member euro zone rose to 2.7% in March – remaining above the European Central Bank’s (ECB) target of just below 2%. Rising inflation in the region led the ECB to lift interest rates this month from 1% to 1.25% – for the first time in almost three years. The [...]
The US Labor Department has today revealed consumer prices climbed to 2.7% in March from 2.3% in February. The rise, which was more than expected, was attributed to higher food and petrol prices. Meanwhile, on a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 0.5% in March. Inflation is rising in many economies throughout the world, particularly [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today revealed the UK housing market remained weak last month. The Institution’s March monthly survey revealed sales and prices were flat, while interest from prospective buyers was waning. However, London appears to be bucking the trend with house prices in the capital rising for a second consecutive [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) fell to an annual rate of 4% in March, from February’s 28-month high of 4.4%. The fall was attributed to food prices, which fell 1.4%. While it was the first time in eight months inflation had slowed, it still remains double the target [...]
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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