Official data has revealed unemployment in Germany dropped to its lowest level in more than 20 years in September. The country’s unemployment rate fell from August’s rate of 7% to 6.6%. Unemployment now stands at 2.79 million – the first time since 1992 that the jobless total has been below 2.8 million. It was also [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed the world’s largest economy grew by 1.3% on an annual basis in the April to June period – higher than an initial estimate of 1%. The figure was also slightly higher than analysts’ expectations of 1.2% and follows a 0.4% growth rate in the first quarter of the year. The [...]
The Munich-based Ifo think tank has today revealed confidence among German firms fell for the third consecutive month in September. The closely-watched Business Climate Index dipped to 107.5 this month from August’s reading of 108.7 – this represented the lowest level since June 2010. However, the fall was not as bad as the 106.5 economists [...]
The European Commission has today warned that euro zone growth will almost grind to a halt in the second half of the year. Its prediction comes amid the ongoing debt crisis in the 17-member region. It slashed growth forecasts for the third quarter to 0.2%, while growth for the final quarter has been revised down [...]
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revised its growth forecasts for the global economy. The US, which is the world’s largest economy, is expected to see growth this year of 2.6% – revised upwards from a previous estimate of 2.2%. It maintained its 2012 growth forecast at 3.1%. “Growth in the [...]
Scotland’s economy shrank less than thought in the October to December period, official figures revealed today. GDP was revised upwards to a contraction of 0.4% rather than an earlier estimate of 0.5%. The contraction was attributed to the bad weather during the quarter which impacted on many businesses. On an annual basis, meanwhile, the economy [...]
France’s Economy Minister Christine Lagarde has said the economy will expand 2.25% in 2012, revised down from a previous estimate of 2.5%. The revision was based on the fact that global demand for French goods is likely to weaken. In an interview with Les Echos reported, the minister said: “Our forecast for two percent growth [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed the US economy grew by an annualised 3.1% in the October to December period – higher than the previous estimate of 2.8%. It was also slightly better than analysts forecast of a 3% growth rate. The upward revision in GDP was attributed to higher consumer spending – which grew [...]
The Cabinet Office has today revealed the Japanese economy contracted by 1.3% in the October to December period – slightly worse than the first estimate of 1.1%. Today’s estimate is the second reading, a third and final estimate will be available next month. The downward revision was attributed to an expired Government incentive for low-emission [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed the US economy grew by an annualised 2.8% in the October to December period – lower than the first estimate of 3.2%. The growth rate was also lower than the 3.3% expected by most analysts. Today’s estimate is the second reading, a third and final estimate will be available [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK economy contracted by 0.6% in the October to December period – slightly worse than the first estimate of 0.5%. Economists had expected the figures to remain unchanged. Today’s estimate is the second reading, a third and final estimate will be available next month. However, [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed the US economy grew by an annualised 2.6% in the July to September period – slightly higher than the second estimate of 2.5% but much faster than the first estimate of 2%. However, the growth rate was less than the 3% most analysts had expected. Today’s estimate is the [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK economy grew by 0.7% in the July to September period – down from its previous estimate of 0.8%. On an annual basis, meanwhile, growth was also revised down to 2.7% from 2.8%. Both figures surprised economists who had expected quarterly and annual growth to [...]
Official figures have today revealed the Japanese economy grew faster than estimated in the third quarter due to stronger corporate spending. The world’s third largest economy grew by 1.1% in the July to September period, up from the first estimate of 0.9%. On an annual basis, the economy expanded by 4.5% from an earlier estimate [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed the US economy grew by 2.5% in the July to September period – much faster than the 2% previously estimated and higher than economists had forecast. Today’s estimate is the second reading, a third and final estimate will be available next month. GDP was revised upwards due to higher [...]
The European Union’s statistics office, Eurostat, has today said Greece’s budget deficit reached a revised 15.4% of annual economic output last year – higher than the 13.6% reported in April. The revised figure, which is almost two percentage points more than originally forecast, now makes it the largest deficit in the euro zone – even [...]
The Bank of Japan (BoJ) has today opted to keep interest rates on hold between zero and 0.1%. The move comes just weeks after the Bank surprised analysts and cut rates to this level. The measures come as the economy continues its battle with deflation. Deflation is also a concern for the Japanese economy. Recent [...]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has today warned that economic growth will be hit due to deep spending cuts. Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s chief economic counsellor, said massive spending cuts may have to be revisited if growth in the UK is hampered. However, Mr Blanchard did highlight that his comments applied to all advanced economies, [...]
The central bank of Ireland has today predicted the economy will expand by just 0.2% – lower than its previous forecast of 0.8%. In comparison, the Government expects growth of 1% for 2010 as a whole, however, a further forecast is due later this month. The revised projection from the central bank comes as the [...]
The Commerce Department has today revealed the US economy grew by an annualised 1.7% in the April to June period – slightly higher than the previous estimate of 1.6%. This figure is the third and final estimate for the second quarter and the upward revision was due to a higher rate of consumer spending, which [...]
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, [...]
About | Privacy | Disclaimer | Resources | XML Feeds | Press Releases | Directory | Contact us
