Global stocks have fallen to a one-week low today with banks among the worst performers. Concerns that the euro zone may not be able to contain its debt crisis, together with fears of the US slipping back into recession sent European shares falling this morning. Deutsche Bank lost 7.3% in early trading today, Societe Generale [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed US housing starts slumped in April – much worse than forecast. Housing starts dived 10.6% in the month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 523,000 units, analysts had expected an annual rate of 563,000. In the meantime, applications for building permits, a barometer of future home construction, also [...]
The Labor Department today revealed the world’s largest economy added 162,000 jobs last month – the largest job gain since March 2007. The unemployment rate remains at 9.7% – the third consecutive month it has been at this level. The news sent oil prices soaring to an 18-month high of $85.89 a barrel and was [...]
London’s FTSE 100 rose to its highest level this year after the price of gold hit a fresh record high today of $1,132.95 an ounce. Increasing demand from emerging markets has been pushing up the price of the precious metal over recent weeks. Furthermore, gold traditionally rises during the October to December period as the [...]
Statistics body Rosstat has today announced that Russia’s economy expanded by 13.9% in the third quarter compared with the second quarter. However, when compared with the same period a year ago, the Russian economy contracted by 8.9%. The economy, which is heavily reliant on oil exports, has suffered from a severe downturn but the latest [...]
US light crude hit $74.49 (£45) a barrel by afternoon in Europe today – after reaching $74.81, its highest intra-day price in ten months, on the back of increasing demand. Meanwhile, London’s Brent crude was 16 cents higher to $74.35 a barrel. This resulted in stock rising in BP, Royal Dutch Shell, BG Group and [...]
Sterling and the FTSE 100 index of leading shares both rose today on the back of growing hopes for an economic recovery. The FTSE jumped by 76.85 points to 4,685.21 – the highest level since October with Barclays and HSBC leading the banking sector after reporting first half profits earlier today. Meanwhile, sterling climbed to [...]
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has followed rival firm BP and announced a sharp fall in quarterly profits as oil prices fall and demand weakens. Profit for the first quarter plunged to $3.3 billion (£2.24 billion), down 58% compared with the same period in 2008 and represents a 31% fall compared with the fourth quarter [...]
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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