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 [...]
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 [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s July 6-7 meeting have been released today and have revealed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) again voted 7-2 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the [...]
European stocks were lower today after it emerged that top EU officials are meeting in Brussels to discuss the ongoing debt crisis in the euro zone. Germany’s DAX 30 lost 0.68% to 7,352.73, while France’s CAC 40 was down 0.89% to 3,878.60. London’s FTSE was 0.2% lower at 5,977.31. The meeting has been arranged as [...]
Euro zone finance ministers have failed to reach an agreement on Greece’s next loan instalment of €12 billion, which has sent European stocks down – with banking shares hit hardest. Ministers met in Luxembourg yesterday but delayed their decision on the fifth instalment of Greece’s €110 billion loan until the country introduces further austerity measures. [...]
The Bank of England’s new Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is set to hold its first quarterly meeting today. The FPC, which was first unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne a year ago, has been established to regulate financial services and markets. The idea behind the FPC follows the Government’s criticism of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s May 4-5 meeting have been released today and have revealed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) again voted 6-3 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s March 9-10 meeting have been released today and have revealed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) again voted 6-3 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the [...]
According to some economists, there is a very small chance that the Bank of England could raise interest rates today. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) commenced its two-day meeting yesterday and earlier this week, City bank JP Morgan said there was a 40% chance that rates will be lifted from their historic low of 0.5% [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s January meeting have been released today and have revealed that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the economy. [...]
Following the two-day meeting of European finance ministers in Brussels, it has emerged that Governments are in no hurry to increase the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) – otherwise known as the rescue fund. Greece and Ireland have received emergency bailouts from the fund and there has been speculation that weaker euro zone nations will [...]
A meeting of euro zone finance ministers will take place today to discuss enlarging the effective capacity of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF). The move comes after speculation mounts that weaker euro zone nations will need to tap the facility for emergency funds. Portugal and Spain are both under scrutiny and face pressure to [...]
According to economists, the Bank of England is widely expected to keep interest rates on hold this month. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) commences its two-day meeting today and interest rates are expected to be kept at the historic low of 0.5% – where they have been for almost two years. In addition, analysts expect [...]
Minutes from the December 14 policy meeting have revealed that US central bank, the Federal Reserve, will press ahead with its $600 billion (£385 billion) stimulus programme. The fresh round of stimulus comes despite improvements in the world’s largest economy, the minutes revealed. Many economists suggested that the strengthening recovery would result in the Fed [...]
Business Secretary Vince Cable has said he could quit the coalition if he is “pushed too far” in negotiations with the Conservatives. Mr Cable, who is the most senior Liberal Democrat member of the coalition after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, told undercover reporters from The Daily Telegraph the situation in the coalition was like [...]
A meeting between Business Secretary Vince Cable, Chancellor George Osborne and the bosses of the UK’s top five banks has been delayed after Mr Osborne is stranded in the US due to bad weather. The meeting, scheduled for this afternoon to discuss the controversial issue of bonuses, had to be cancelled due to transport problems. [...]
Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne are meeting with the bosses of the top banks today to discuss the controversial issue of bonuses. Mr Cable is keen to set a limit on bonuses and a commitment to increase lending to SMEs. Yesterday, Mr Cable warned banks that the Government will remain determined and [...]
As the bonus payment season draws near, Business Secretary Vince Cable has today warned banks that the Government will remain determined and not be “bullied”. Mr Cable added that the Coalition Government is in agreement on the subject of bonuses and said it will not be “bullied” by banks threatening to leave the UK as [...]
The Federal Reserve’s policy-setting arm, the FOMC, is scheduled to announce its decision on monetary policy today, with economists expecting no change in interest rates or to its quantitative easing programme. Last month, the Federal Open Market Committee, opted to restart its stimulus programme. The measures, introduced to stimulate the economic recovery, saw the central [...]
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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