The latest house price index from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed prices rose by 0.4% in October on a monthly basis. On an annual basis, house prices are now 0.8% higher than this time last year – representing the first yearly rise in six months – with the average UK home costing £165,650. However, [...]
The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS)/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) has today revealed UK manufacturing activity contracted last month. The closely-watched CIPS/Markit manufacturing PMI sank to 47.4 in October from September’s reading of 50.8. Today’s survey means the index has fallen below the crucial 50 mark – which separates growth from expansion. [...]
US consumer confidence slumped in October, the Conference Board has reported. The closely-monitored Consumer Confidence Index from the Conference Board dived to 39.8 this month from September’s reading of 46.4. Not only was the reading less than forecasts of a level of 46.0, it was the lowest since March 2009, when the US was in [...]
Property website, Rightmove, has today reported a further rise in asking prices for the month of October. According to Rightmove, asking prices for residential property in England and Wales surged 2.8% in October on a monthly basis and were 1.2% higher compared with this time last year. This compares with a 0.7% monthly increase and [...]
It has been announced that the UK minimum wage will rise by 15p (2.5%) to £6.08 an hour from October 1, 2011 and is set to benefit almost 900,000 people. The 15p an hour rise applies to workers aged 21 and over. Meanwhile, the rate for 18 to 20-year-olds will increase by 6p to £4.98, [...]
The EU statistics office Eurostat has today revealed euro zone industrial output gained 0.7% in October, recovering from a 0.7% decline the previous month. On an annual basis, meanwhile, industrial output grew by 6.9%.However, both figures were less than a monthly increase of 1.3% and an annual increase of 7.6% forecast by economists. On an [...]
Official data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) today revealed UK house prices fell by 0.1% in October compared with September, with the average UK home costing £209,466. In the meantime, on an annual basis, house prices are just 5.5% higher, down from the 6.1% annual rise in September. The figures come [...]
New mortgage lending showed a month-on-month fall of 4% in October, with 46,000 loans for house purchases advanced, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). At £6.7 billion, the value of the advances was down 6% on September and 12% on October 2009, although last year’s figure was bolstered by buyers taking advantage of [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit unexpectedly widened in October. According to the ONS, the goods trade gap widened to £8.5 billion in October, up from an upwardly revised deficit of £8.3 billion the previous month. Analysts had expected a deficit of £8.05 billion. The ONS said exports [...]
The good news just keeps on coming for Europe’s largest economy after the Economy Ministry today revealed industrial production rose by 2.9% in October – almost treble the 1% economists had expected. Economists described it as “a good start to the fourth quarter”. The figures indicate that Germany continues to drive the recovery of the [...]
Germany’s statistics office, Destatis, today revealed exports unexpectedly fell 1.1% in October to €86.8 billion. However, imports picked up pace to €72.6 billion, rising by 0.3% on the month. Export demand helped to bring Germany out of recession in the second quarter of last year – much sooner than many of its counterparts throughout the [...]
There is further evidence of a strong recovery in Germany today after the Economy Ministry revealed industrial orders grew by 1.6% in October compared with September. Domestic orders increased 2.4% in the month, fuelled by a 3.9% surge in demand for investment goods. Meanwhile, export orders grew 0.8% and this was due to high demand [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK manufacturing output grew by 0.6% in October compared with September – the biggest gain since March. It was also better than the 0.3% rise expected by analysts. Meanwhile, overall industrial production, which also includes utilities, mining and quarrying, fell 0.2% on the month – the [...]
Eurostat has today revealed a rise in euro zone retail sales for the month of October, after two months of declines. Retail sales grew 0.5% in October on the month and were 1.8% higher on an annual basis, according to the European statistics office. The increase also beat analysts’ expectations of a 0.2% rise. Europe’s [...]
The Bank of England has today revealed mortgage approvals fell again in October – to an eight-month low. According to the Bank, there were 47,185 loans approved in the month – the lowest level since February, albeit in line with expectations of 47,000. The figure is less than half the level reached at the height [...]
According to the Land Registry, house prices fell by 0.8% in October compared with September, putting the average cost of a home at £165,505 in England and Wales. It must be noted that the Land Registry compiles its data from completed transactions and therefore lags behind other monitors of the housing market but is generally [...]
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has revealed a slump in the number of homes sold in October in the UK. According to HMRC, 79,000 homes worth at least £40,000 or more were sold in the month, a fall of 11% on an annual basis. While it was 1,000 higher from September’s figure, it is evident [...]
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has today revealed sales of previously owned homes fell more than expected in October, following two months of strong gains. The industry body said sales fell 2.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual unit rate of 4.43 million units, down from September’s 4.53 million units. Commenting on today’s figures, Lawrence [...]
The British Bankers’ Association (BBA) has today revealed a further fall in the number of new mortgages approved by the major banks in October. According to the BBA, the number of new mortgages approved in the month fell to 30,766, down from 31,058 in September – representing the lowest level since March 2009 – when [...]
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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