The UK economy emerged from recession yesterday and now leads the way in Europe according to research group Capital Economics. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by one per cent in the third quarter from July to September, the biggest rise for five years, the latest official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. […]
The UK economy returned to growth in the third quarter according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), marking an end to the double dip recession. The NIESR estimates that GDP grew by 0.8 per cent in the three months ending in September, building on an improvement seen in the three months […]
Sir Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, expects the UK economy to return to growth in the next quarter, marking an end to the double-dip recession. Speaking on Channel 4 News, Sir Mervyn warned that recovery would be slow and said that the continuing crisis in the eurozone creates uncertainty for British […]
The latest official figures reveal that the UK economy contracted by 0.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, significantly more than the 0.2 per cent fall in GDP expected by economists. It is the largest fall in quarterly UK economic outlook since the first three months of 2009 and means that the double-dip […]
The UK economy could recover more quickly than expected according to economic forecasting group the Ernst & Young Item Club. The Item Club expects the UK to return to growth in the second half of this year, marking an end to the double-dip recession. However this depends on a solution being found to the debt […]
The UK economy has contracted for three consecutive quarters according to new figures from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). NIESR estimates that GDP fell by 0.2 per cent in the 2012 second quarter, with the extra bank holiday for the Diamond Jubilee contributing to the fall. This follows a 0.3 per […]
Sir Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England, does not expect the UK economy to recover until 2017, three years later than his earlier estimate. The Governor made his gloomy prediction to MPs at a meeting of the Treasury Select Committee (TSC). “When this crisis began in 2007, most people did not believe […]
Inflation fell to 2.8 per cent on the Consumer Prices Index in May, from 3 per cent in April, surprising economists who had not expected it to change. Inflation also fell on the Retail Prices Index, which includes housing costs, from 3.5 per cent in April to 3.1 per cent in June. Inflation is now […]
Credit card lending contracted in April, representing the fourth time it has contracted in the past six months and suggesting that consumer confidence remains low. Repayments exceeded new borrowing by £118m last month, marking the biggest monthly contraction since August 2006, according to the latest figures from the Bank of England. Other types of personal […]
Household borrowing soared in the decade leading up to the start of the financial crisis in 2008 according to a report by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and the Resolution Foundation. Household spending, GDP and property prices all increased steadily between 1997 and 2007 but the report suggests that this growth […]
The Bank of England is holding the base rate at 0.5 per cent and has decided not to extend its quantitative easing (QE) programme following a £50bn boost to the economy in February. The UK interest rate has now remained at 0.5 per cent for three years, despite high levels of inflation. Consumer Prices Index […]
While research by the Alliance Trust suggests that an economic boost generated by the Olympics will help Britain out of recession, rating agency Moody’s is warning that any benefit will only be short term. Alliance Trust suggests that ticket sales for the event and other consumer spending on Olympic related retail products will cause a […]
Provisional figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the UK economy has contracted for two consecutive quarters, which means it has fallen back into recession. The economy shrank by 0.3% in the fourth quarter of 2011 and the latest figures show a contraction of 0.2% in the first three months of 2012 […]
News that the UK’s service sector grew more than expected last month has generated optimism that the economy could avoid falling back into recession. The Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for the service industry increased to 55.3 in March, from 53.8 in February, with a reading of above 50 representing growth. Growth in the service […]
The UK economy is expected to contract by 0.4 per cent on an annualised basis in the first three months of 2012, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This represents a contraction of 0.1 per cent compared with the final quarter of 2011 and means that the UK is returning to […]
The UK economy needs a fiscal boost of £10 billion to £20 billion in order to avoid another recession, a leading think tank said today. In its annual Green Budget, The Institute for Fiscal Studies calls for Chancellor George Osborne to include a short-term fiscal stimulus in his budget. This would buffer the UK economy […]
The economic gap between cities doing relatively well during the economic downturn and those that have been hard hit by the recession, is expected to widen. A report by the Centre for Cities, a research and policy organisation focused on improving the economic performance of UK cities, suggests that a combination of weak growth in […]
The rate of Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation fell to 4.2 per cent in December, from 4.8 per cent in November, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the third consecutive month that inflation has fallen and December’s figures represents the biggest monthly fall since April 2009. Inflation […]
Britain’s economy stagnated in the final quarter of 2011 and is “very likely” to contract in the first half of 2012 according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). The euro zone debt crisis caused the economy to stagnate in 2011 and it has failed to improve this year, with the survey suggesting that one […]
The UK economy is expected to contract by 1.3 per cent in 2012, according to respected economists at Standard Chartered bank. Growth of 0.6% had been predicted but Standard Chartered’s latest survey, of 350 companies, points to a sharp recession in the face of the ongoing eurozone crisis. The eurozone economy is expected to contract […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
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