The US trade deficit swelled in May to $50.2 billion (£31.7 billion) from $43.6 billion the previous month, as oil imports surged. According to the Commerce Department, the trade deficit rose to the highest level since October 2008. Exports fell by 0.5% on a monthly basis to $174.9 billion, while imports rose by 2.6% on [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit widened in May to £8.48 billion from a revised £7.6 billion in April. The figures surprised economists who had expected the trade gap to narrow to £7.3 billion. Meanwhile, the ONS said exports rose by 4.2% on a monthly basis to £25.4 [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported that the number of loans for house purchase rose in May. According to the Council, there were 41,500 loans worth £5.9 billion advanced for house purchase in the month, up from 40,800 in April. However, the figure remains lower than the 43,800 loans advanced in May 2010. [...]
Statistics office Destatis has today revealed German exports and imports recovered in May, giving a trade balance of €14.8 billion from €10.8 billion the previous month. According to Destatis, exports were 4.3% higher on the month at €92.1 billion (£82 billion), higher than forecasts of a 1.5% rise and recovering from April’s fall of 5.6%. [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK industrial output grew at its fastest rate since March 2010 last month after plunging in April due to the Royal Wedding and the impact of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, which disrupted the supply chain. April’s fall represented the biggest since August 2009. However, output rose [...]
Retail sales in the 17-member euro zone fell in May as consumers cut back on spending in the face of higher inflation and rising unemployment. According to the European Union’s statistics, Eurostat, sales in the euro zone fell 1.1% in May on a monthly basis – the biggest fall since April 2010 – with the [...]
Growth in the UK’s closely-watched service sector rose slightly last month, figures have revealed today. The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged higher to 53.9 in June from May’s three-month low of 53.8. The result confounded analysts’ expectations of a fall to 53.5. The index continues to remain above [...]
Australia’s Bureau of Statistics today revealed retail sales showed a surprise fall in May sending the dollar and shares down after the announcement. Sales suffered the largest fall in seven months, declining by 0.6% on a monthly basis, confounding analysts’ expectations of a 0.3% rise. According to analysts, today’s figures will lead the Reserve Bank [...]
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 England has today revealed mortgage approvals remained weak in May. According to the Bank, there were 45,940 loans approved in the month – slightly higher than April’s 45,447 but lower than forecasts of a level of 46,100. Furthermore, May’s figure was lower than the average for the previous six months. Today’s figures [...]
Japan’s industrial output recovered further last month after a record drop in March due to the earthquake and tsunami. Disruptions caused by the twin disasters resulted in carmakers being forced to halt production as a result of parts shortages. However, it looks as if the situation is improving for manufacturers after output rose at a [...]
The Commerce Department has today reported consumer spending in the US was flat in May. This was the first month since September 2009 that there was no growth, surprising analysts who had expected a 0.1% rise. Consumer spending is closely monitored as it accounts for approximately 70% of total economic output. However, many analysts said [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed sales of new homes in the US fell, suggesting the housing market remains depressed. According to the Commerce Department, new single-family home sales fell by 2.1% in May on a monthly basis to an annual rate of 319,000 units, after two consecutive months of gains. However, despite the fall, [...]
The US housing market remains depressed after figures today revealed sales of previously owned homes plunged 15% on an annual basis last month, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The industry body also said sales were down 3.8% on the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million units – [...]
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has today revealed a further fall in the number of homes sold in May in the UK. According to HMRC, 68,000 homes worth at least £40,000 or more were sold in the month – 2,000 lower than the revised total of April and 3,000 lower when compared with May 2010. [...]
Official figures today revealed China house prices slowed in May, suggesting the Government’s attempts to cool house prices is taking effect. The Government has launched several initiatives to avoid a property bubble. It recently announced plans to introduce a property tax, while making it more expensive to buy second homes, by lifting the minimum down [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) today reported a rise in mortgage lending for the month of May. According to the Council, mortgage lending rose 12% in May compared with April as demand was boosted by the public bank holidays. Gross mortgage lending in the month totalled £11.3 billion, said the CML. The figure was [...]
A survey by LSL Property Services has revealed rents in England and Wales continue to rise, with the average rent hitting almost £700 last month. May represented the fourth consecutive month that the average rental cost rose. According to LSL, the average rent stands at £696 – 4.4% higher than this time last year. However, [...]
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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