A survey by Incahoot.com has revealed Britons would rather risk hefty heating bills than turning up the heat in the bedroom. The phrase “no sex please, we’re British” appears to be true after a survey by the collective buying website found that 90% of UK consumers would rather turn up the radiators than have sex [...]
The Markit Household Finance Index (HFI) has today published a gloomy report as families’ finances were slightly worse in October than in September. Meanwhile, Markit’s HFI, which measures prospects for finances over the coming year, dived to 34.5 this month, from September’s reading of 42.2. The reading represented the lowest in the survey’s history and [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today said the fresh round of quantitative easing (QE) announced by the Bank of England last week may not be enough to prevent the economy from slipping back into recession and “more radical measures” are required. BCC Chief Economist David Kern said in an e-mailed statement in London [...]
UK retail sales volumes fell in August, at the fastest pace for over a year, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) reports. In a new quarterly survey, 46% of retailers said they had experienced falling sales in the two weeks to mid-August (compared with a year earlier) and the level of negativity registered over prospects [...]
The Commerce Department has revealed a rise in US retail sales for the month of July. Sales grew 0.5% last month – the best reading since March and follows June’s upwardly revised figure of a 0.3% rise. The rise, which was better than forecasts of a 0.2% gain, was partly attributed to strong demand for [...]
The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) latest consumer confidence survey has revealed how consumer shopping habits have changed due to the Government spending cuts and the rise in the cost of living. According to the survey released by the BRC and Nielsen, almost one third of those questioned feel that they have no cash left over [...]
A survey of 2,000 individuals, conducted between July 1 and 10, has revealed a fall in consumer confidence. According to the survey of consumer attitudes, carried out by GfK NOP Social Research, confidence dived by 5 points to -30 in July – edging closer to the -31 seen in April. The index was also worse [...]
A quarterly survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) revealed that the UK economy was “fragile”. The BCC’s survey for the three months to the end of June showed a slow recovery and estimates that the economy grew by 0.3% in the period – slower than the 0.5% growth in the first quarter. Commenting [...]
A quarterly survey of the UK’s financial services sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed business volumes grew in the three months to the end of June, albeit at a slower rate. Companies were asked how their business volumes fared in the second quarter with almost half saying volumes [...]
Manufacturing activity in China eased last month, two separate surveys have revealed today. Firstly, the official China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said its purchasing managers index (PMI) fell to 50.9 in June from May’s reading of 52 – the lowest level since February 2009. The reading was also lower than expectations of a [...]
A survey of 2,000 individuals, conducted between June 3 and 12, has revealed a fall in consumer confidence. According to the survey of consumer attitudes, carried out by GfK NOP Social Research, confidence dipped by 4 points to -25 in June after May’s 10 point rise, which represented the biggest increase since May 1993. The [...]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has today reported a fall in credit card usage as consumers look to cash and debit cards for their purchases. According to a survey by the BRC, which represents 90% of the UK’s stores, shoppers are opting to use their debit cards and cash to avoid borrowing. However, the number [...]
A survey by LSL Property Services has revealed rents in England and Wales continue to rise, with the average rent hitting almost £700 last month. May represented the fourth consecutive month that the average rental cost rose. According to LSL, the average rent stands at £696 – 4.4% higher than this time last year. However, [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the traditional spring selling season has been hit by a lack of mortgage finance and economic uncertainty. This time of year is traditionally busy for the housing market but securing a mortgage remains difficult for many potential buyers – particularly first-time buyers. Furthermore, the [...]
A survey by the Halifax has revealed many first-time buyers fear they will not be able to get on the property ladder. The survey of 4,000 non-homeowners found two-thirds believe home ownership is unattainable. Stricter lending criteria, which has resulted in lenders demanding large deposits, is deterring many would-be homebuyers, according to the survey. Almost [...]
A survey by the CBI has revealed consumer service firms have been hit by a cut back on spending. According to the CBI, firms such as hotels, bars and restaurants, saw evidence of weak demand but are optimistic about future prospects as conditions are not expected to be as challenging in the coming quarter. Meanwhile, [...]
A quarterly survey of the UK’s financial services sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed that business volumes grew in the three months to the end of March. The financial services sector, which represents around 8% of GDP, has been badly affected by the credit crunch and debt crises [...]
There is some good news for the housing market after a Bank of England survey revealed mortgage availability is set to improve in the coming months. The survey comes as mortgage lending continues to remain subdued as first-time buyers, in particular, struggle to obtain a mortgage unless they have a substantial deposit. Since the credit [...]
According to a survey commissioned by BBC One’s Panorama programme, employees are £1,088 a year worse off than they were two years ago as take-home pay fails to keep in line with inflation. At the start of this year, the typical British worker earned £20,149 – a drop of 5% from what they were earning [...]
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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