The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.5% last month from July’s rate of 4.4%. However, the figure was in line with analysts’ expectations. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs but the main reason behind last month’s rise was a 5.1% [...]
Brazil’s central bank has cut the country’s key interest rate to 12% from 12.5% - a move which surprised economists. However, the bank said there had been a “substantial deterioration” in the outlook for the global economy and that was its reason for the rate cut. One analyst said the rate cut is a “huge [...]
Statistics Korea has today revealed South Korea’s inflation rate jumped to a three-year high of 5.3% in August as food costs continued to rise. The rate is up from 4.7% in July and represents the eighth consecutive month that inflation has been above the central bank’s target of 4%. Inflationary pressures are rife throughout the [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.4% last month after easing to 4.2% in June. Analysts had expected the figure to rise slightly to 4.3%. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs – which grew by 6.2% in July, while clothes [...]
According to a preliminary estimate from Eurostat today, euro zone inflation eased in July to 2.5% from 2.7% in June. The figures come despite figures earlier this week suggesting German inflation crept up to 2.4%. Despite the fall, inflation remains higher than the ECB’s target of just below 2% – and is expected to remain [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK public sector borrowing rose last month. According to the ONS, public sector net borrowing rose to £14 billion last month compared with £13.6 billion June 2010. The figure was higher than analysts’ expectations and was attributed to a fall in income tax receipts. The figure [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s July 6-7 meeting have been released today and have revealed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) again voted 7-2 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the [...]
A report has revealed that the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are successful when applying for credit. According to the study, more than half (59%) of applicants were successful when applying for a loan, while 72% who applied for an overdraft were successful. The figures come from the latest SME Finance Monitor report [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today elected to lift interest rates from 1.25% to 1.5% - the second increase since April. The move comes to tame rising inflation in the 17-member euro zone and was widely expected by analysts and more rate rises are on the cards. Inflation in the euro zone currently stands [...]
Minutes of the Bank of England’s June 8-9 meeting have been released today and have revealed the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 7-2 to lift interest rates and 8-1 to restart the Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) scheme. Adam Posen, again, called for an injection of £50 billion via the QE scheme to boost the economy. [...]
One of the members of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), Paul Fisher, has argued that the central bank is right to keep interest rates low. His comments come despite leading business groups urging the bank to lift rates to combat soaring inflation, which is currently more than double its 2% target. Last [...]
In its influential Quarterly Bulletin, the Bank of England said interest rates can be held at the historic low of 0.5% in order to prevent growth from stalling. The statement comes despite inflation being more than double the target of 2% and many business groups are calling on the bank to lift rates to combat [...]
South Korea’s central bank has today elected to lift interest rates in order tame high inflation. The move surprised analysts after the bank held interest rates last month and inflation fell to 4.1% in May, after reaching a 29-month high of 4.7% in March. Inflation remains at the higher end of the central bank’s 2%-4% [...]
The European Central Bank (ECB) has today elected to keep interest rates on hold at 1.25% but hinted that rates may rise again next month. In April, the ECB lifted rates from 1% to 1.25% in a bid to tame rising inflation in the 17-member euro zone – it was the first time in almost [...]
The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has today elected to keep UK interest rates on hold at the historically low level of 0.5%, as widely expected. Interest rates have now been at this low level since March 2009 – when the economy was in the midst of recession. Recent figures show the economy [...]
Policymaker Paul Fisher has said the Bank of England is right not to have lifted interest rates from their current low of 0.5%, suggesting the economy is still too fragile. His comments in the Daily Mail come despite calls from business groups to raise interest rates to curb inflation – which is currently running at [...]
The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has today said the Bank of England should lift interest rates to combat stubbornly high inflation. UK economic growth is being hampered by soaring inflation, which is having a major impact on consumer spending. As a result, the Organisation revised its growth forecasts for the UK, [...]
The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has been criticised by the National Audit Office (NAO) for missing targets. The Scheme was established by the Labour Government in late 2008 to help struggling homeowners in England facing repossession and allowed people to sell their property to a local authority or housing association but stay on as a tenant. [...]
Figures published by the Bank of England today have revealed that the “big five” banks loaned £16.8 billion to SMEs in the first quarter – around £2 billion short of the £19 billion target – agreed under the “Project Merlin”. Under the agreement, Project Merlin, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds, HSBC and Santander all [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) surged to an annual rate of 4.5% in April – a level not seen since October 2008 and higher than forecasts of a rise to 4.2%. The surprise surge in inflation comes after the rate dropped to 4% in March and was attributed [...]
Rics: Housing market remains in the doldrums
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the UK housing market remained weak in August with house prices falling further. According to the Institution, homeowners remain reluctant to put their properties up for sale, while buyers continue to struggle to secure a mortgage and remain uncertain about the economic climate. The [...]
CML: Mortgage lending edges higher in July
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in July. According to the Council, there were 48,400 loans advanced for house purchase in the month – up by 1,000 from June’s figure but almost 7,000 lower when compared with July 2010. Commenting on today’s figures, Paul Smee, [...]
UK inflation edges higher in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today announced Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) rose to annual rate of 4.5% last month from July’s rate of 4.4%. However, the figure was in line with analysts’ expectations. Higher inflation continues to be led by rising food costs but the main reason behind last month’s rise was a 5.1% [...]
Fresnillo down on silver prices
European equities markets were lower Monday on the possibility that Greece could default soon and on speculation that Moody’s Investors Service could cut its rating on several big banks with holdings tied to Greece. The FTSE 100 was down 1.63 percent to 5,129.62 in London, while the FTSE 250 dropped 1.65 percent to 9,983.75 as [...]
IFS warns of tough times for UK households
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that households will be squeezed for the next decade as they suffer from the harsh spending cuts introduced by the Government. It said households are suffering one of the worst attacks on their finances since the Second World War and that the impact of [...]
ICB final report recommends ring-fencing
The Independent Commission on Banking’s (ICB) final report has been published today and is recommending that UK banks should ring-fence their retail banking operations. According to the report, ring-fencing would protect banks from riskier investment banking divisions and would “make it easier and less costly to resolve banks that get into trouble”. The ICB, which [...]
Tullow Oil leads 100 in London
European equities markets were significantly lower Friday on an increased possibility that Greece could default on its debt as soon as this weekend, raising the concern level over the European region’s debt problems and ratcheting up worries that the economic recovery is faltering. Additionally, markets reacted to the resignation of European Central Bank board member [...]
SMMT: UK car sales rise in August
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed UK car sales saw their first rise in 14 months in August. According to the trade body, car sales rose by 7.3% in August compared with the same month in 2010, with sales of smaller cars rising by more than 30%. The Ford Fiesta remained [...]
Factory gate inflation higher than expected in August
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK producer output prices held steady in August – remaining at the highest annual rate since October 2008. According to the ONS, output prices (factory gate) annual inflation for all manufactured products held steady at July’s upwardly revised reading of 6.1% in August. The figures were [...]
US exports surge, Obama unveils jobs plan
The Commerce Department has revealed US exports hit an all-time high in July, while imports fell. According to official figures, exports surged 3.8% to $178 billion (£111 billion) after two months of declines. The rise in exports was attributed to strong overseas sales of manufactured goods, particularly to countries in Central and South America. Meanwhile, [...]
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