The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK public sector net borrowing rose last month. According to the ONS, public sector net borrowing came in at a higher than expected £15.9 billion in August – a rise of £1.9 billion from a year ago and represented the highest for the month of August [...]
According to Sir Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, a surge in home repossessions is unlikely as UK interest rates are set to remain low. Repossessions have fallen over recent times and many experts have previously argued that homeowners have been saved from repossession because of historically low interest rates, which has [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has revealed UK car sales fell by 7.7% in February compared with the same month in 2010. However, traditionally February is a quiet month for the car industry, with many waiting for the new number plate in March. The continuous fall in sales was expected due to [...]
The Commerce Department has reported a further rise in consumer spending in the US for the month of December. Spending grew 0.7% in the month after rising by 0.3% in November, the sixth consecutive monthly rise. The ongoing rise in consumer spending suggest a sustainable recovery is underway in the world‘s largest economy. Consumer spending [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has today announced UK car sales fell by 11.5% in November compared with the same month in 2009. It represents the fifth consecutive monthly fall and came despite the forthcoming VAT hike, which was expected to boost sales towards the end of the year. The SMMT said [...]
Official figures today showed the Japanese economy continues to battle with deflation. Figures revealed Japanese core consumer prices fell 0.6% in October compared with a year ago – representing the 20th consecutive monthly decline that the economy has been in deflation. Last month, the Bank of Japan cut interest rates to almost zero. The move [...]
According to housing charity, Shelter, there has been an increase in the number of mortgage holders who are struggling to meet their monthly repayments. A survey carried out by YouGov shows that three million people are struggling each month with their mortgage repayments – a staggering increase of 80% compared with a year ago. Worryingly, [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has today announced UK car sales fell by 22.2% in October compared with the same month in 2009. It represents the fourth consecutive monthly fall but was expected due to the withdrawal of the scrappage scheme. The SMMT said the number of new cars sold in the [...]
The Land Registry has reported annual house price growth of 5.2% across England and Wales in September, marking the eleventh consecutive month in which annual property price inflation has remained above zero. However, the value of the typical home was at its lowest since December 2009 and the monthly change of -0.2% was the first [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today reported a decline in UK retail sales for the month of September – the second monthly fall. According to the ONS, retail sales dipped 0.2% last month and followed a downwardly revised fall of 0.7% in August. The fall was attributed to weak demand for clothing and [...]
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has revealed registrations of new cars in Europe fell in September on year. According to the ACEA, 1.26 million cars were registered, a fall of 9.2% on last year’s levels. September represents the sixth consecutive monthly fall as incentive schemes to boost the ailing car industry have expired. In [...]
The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) monthly industrial trends survey has today provided a positive outlook for the manufacturing sector. The CBI’s order book balance rose to -14 this month from -16 in July. While this indicates that orders are still declining, it represented the slowest pace in two years. Meanwhile, the export order book [...]
Some Clydesdale and Yorkshire Bank customers are facing increased mortgage costs because of a systems error. According to reports, around 18,000 variable rate borrowers can expect their repayments to rise by between just few pounds and hundreds of pounds a month. However, for half of those affected the monthly penalty should be below £25. Clydesdale’s [...]
A survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) today revealed a mixed June for retail sales with footwear stores hit but food and electrical retailers experienced good growth. According to the CBI’s monthly distributive trades survey, over one third of retailers reported a rise in the volume of sales during the first two weeks [...]
The Land Registry has published house price data for March showing a positive annual change of 7.5% and marking the fifth consecutive month of growth. However, the monthly change stood at minus 0.6%, taking the average house price in England and Wales down slightly, to £164,288. The East Midlands was the region with the most [...]
In February, the value of the average home in England and Wales rose 7% year-on-year, to £164,455, according to new figures from the Land Registry. The increase points towards a “strengthening in the housing market”, although the monthly house price change was negative, at -0.3%. On a regional basis, Wales was the region with the [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply’s monthly index of manufacturing fell to 49.7 in August from 50.2 in July – a figure below 50 indicates contraction. Today’s figures have surprised many analysts who predicted a rise to 51.5, after growth was reported in July for the first time since April last year. Meanwhile, the [...]
Latest figures from the Land Registry show house prices in England and Wales declining by 0.2% in May, with the average property worth £152,497. While the monthly change remained negative, the rate of fall eased from 0.3% in April and the annual rate of decline fell back to 15.9% compared with 16.2% in April. In [...]
Nationwide has reported a 1.8% fall in UK house prices, in February. The lender’s monthly index puts the average cost of home at £147,746, or 17.6% less than a year ago (£179,358). The building society’s chief economist, Fionnuala Earley, suggests that a combination of falling prices and interest rates could mean that when confidence returns [...]
Santander-owned Abbey has reissued its Super Fixed Rate Monthly and Fixed Rate Monthly savings accounts. The company said it hopes the two reissued accounts will help customers kick-start their New Year’s resolution to start saving. Abbey’s Super Fixed Rate Monthly Saver offers a 7% AER for 12 months, provided no withdrawals are made, and between [...]
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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