Official figures today from the finance ministry showed Japanese exports surged 45.3% in February to 5.13 trillion yen (£37.3 billion, $56 billion), the fastest year-on-year growth in 30 years. However, exports are still around 25% lower than levels seen in 2008 but the situation has improved significantly since shipments slumped a year ago. Global demand [...]
There were hopes that the personal computer market is staging a recovery after chipmaker Intel said net income in the three months to 26 December was £1.4 billion – surging ahead of the £143 million reported a year earlier. Furthermore, the company, which is based in Santa Clara, California, exceeded analysts’ expectations after sales soared [...]
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is forecasting big losses for the airline industry next year but added that “the worst is likely behind us”. According to the industry body, airlines will suffer losses of $5.6 billion (£3.5 billion) in 2010 – an increase from the $3.8 billion it originally predicted. IATA said that European [...]
Hopes that the recession has finally come to an end emerged today after the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) said confidence among British businesses has jumped to a six-year high. According to The Times newspaper, the Business Confidence Monitor survey grew to a reading of 24.6 for the fourth quarter, up [...]
A study called “Precious Plastic” by accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has found that while there has been a “cooling passion” for credit cards, bad credit card debts could jump as much as 9% of all outstanding balances by the end of 2010. According to Richard Thompson, a partner at PwC, over the last year, “there [...]
Chinese state media has reported that annual car production in China has accelerated and topped the 10 million mark for the first time and is set to overtake the world’s leading economies. Only the US and Japan (the world’s number one and two economies) have produced 10 million cars in a single year. China’s car [...]
Figures released today by the Office for National Statistics have revealed the poor state of the UK’s finances after public sector net borrowing totalled £8 billion last month – the highest level for the month of July for 13 years. Traditionally, July is a bumper month as it includes a quarterly corporation tax bill. The [...]
Banking giant Barclays, which has so far turned down financial help from the Government, has today announced pre-tax profits of £2.98 billion for the first six months of the year. While the bank’s profits came slightly under analysts’ forecasts of over £3 billion, they were up 8% compared with the same period a year earlier. [...]
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced that in the first quarter of 2009, the number of problem banks in the US soared 40% to a 15-year high. The FDIC said the number of banks with financial difficulties in the three-month period soared to 305, which represents the highest number since 1994 and follows [...]
Virgin Atlantic has bucked the trend among airlines after reporting that it has almost doubled profits. In the 12 months to the end of February, pre-tax profits rose to £68.4 million, compared with the £34.8 million reported a year earlier. The announcement comes as many airlines continue to experience a slump in demand with many [...]
Official figures from the Labour Ministry have revealed that Spanish unemployment soared by 154,058 in February, taking the jobless total to 3.48 million – the highest in over 12 years. While the rise is smaller than that reported in January, there are fears that more people in the country could soon be out of work. [...]
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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