The latest house price index from the Nationwide Building Society has revealed a 0.3% fall for the month of November compared with October – the fourth time in five months that prices registered a fall. The latest fall means house prices are now just 0.4% higher than this time last year with the average UK [...]
The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), which was established in May, has today revised its growth forecast for the UK for the 2010 year. The independent body, which was set up by the coalition Government to assess the state of public finances, has lifted its economic growth forecast from 1.2% to 1.8% – slightly higher [...]
The Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), which was established in May, is today expected to revise its growth forecast for the UK for the 2010 year. The independent body, which was set up by the coalition Government to assess the state of public finances, is expected to revise its growth forecast to 1.7% from the [...]
Respected economic forecaster, the Ernst & Young Item Club, has today warned of a gloomy outlook for consumers but a double-dip recession is unlikely. The think tank said economic growth will be hampered due to massive spending cuts – introduced by the Government to tackle the budget deficit. The Ernst & Young Item Club is [...]
It appears the recovery in the world’s largest economy is gathering momentum after figures revealed activity in the services sector beat expectations last month. The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM’s) non-manufacturing index climbed to 53.2 in September, from 51.5 the previous month. Activity in the sector, which covers approximately 90% of economic output, was higher [...]
According to the Commerce Department, consumer spending in the US improved in August, despite households being squeezed amid higher unemployment. Consumer spending, which makes up for more than two-thirds of overall economic activity in the US, rose 0.4% – the same as July’s figure and higher than the 0.3% expected by analysts. In the meantime, [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK economy grew by 1.2% in the April to June period – unrevised from its second estimate last month. While the reading was expected to remain the same – it represented the fastest pace in nine years and took the annual rate of growth to [...]
Influential think tank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), has today said the global economic recovery is slowing faster and has therefore revised its growth forecast downwards for the G7 leading economies. However, the think tank has said a return to recession is unlikely but “great uncertainty” remains. It has therefore slightly revised [...]
Bank of England policymaker, Kate Barker, said the UK is unlikely to return to recession. In an interview over the weekend, Ms Barker, who is a former housing adviser to the Government, said it is possible, however, that the economy could contract for one quarter. “It’s possible we will have a quarter when GDP falls, [...]
A double dip recovery in the housing market is unlikely according to investment company Assetz. According to the Halifax and Nationwide, house prices have been rising over the last few months but many experts are predicting that house prices will fall again, resulting in a double dip (or a W-shaped recovery). Last month, the Ernst [...]
The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said today it expects house prices to lose a further 3% of their value during the remainder of 2009, before bottoming out and rising just 2% in 2010. Benjamin Williamson, CEBR economist, said: “Our view is that the extent of house price falls already seen means further [...]
Concerns about inflation has meant that the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee may leave interest rates on hold when it meets this Thursday. Last month, interest rates were cut from 5.25% to 5%, which was widely expected by economists. However, two members, Tim Besley and Andrew Sentence, voted against the move because of the [...]
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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