Official figures today revealed Japan’s exports fell more than expected last month resulting in the country’s second consecutive month of trade surplus. According to the Ministry of Finance, exports were 3.3% lower on an annual basis in July – the fifth consecutive monthly fall – and lower than forecasts of a 2.4% fall. The figures [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK trade gap widened to £8.8 billion in June – the biggest deficit since December 2010 and higher than expectations of £8.1 billion. The figures come on the same day the ONS revealed UK factory output fell by 0.4% in June after rising by 1.8% [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit widened in May to £8.48 billion from a revised £7.6 billion in April. The figures surprised economists who had expected the trade gap to narrow to £7.3 billion. Meanwhile, the ONS said exports rose by 4.2% on a monthly basis to £25.4 [...]
The US trade deficit swelled in March to $48.18 billion (£29.5 billion) – up from $45.4 billion the previous month. The widening was attributed to higher prices for imported oil, the Commerce Department reported. Imports rose 4.9% to $220.8 billion, while exports grew 4.6% to a record high of $172.7 billion – the largest monthly [...]
Budget airline easyJet has today revealed pre-tax losses for the six months to 31 March swelled to £153 million, compared with a loss of £79 million in the same period a year earlier. The no-frills airline attributed the loss to rising fuel costs and the challenging economic environment. Jet fuel costs continue to rise due [...]
The US trade deficit swelled in January to a seven month high of $46.3 billion (£28.8 billion) – much higher than expected. The widening was attributed to higher prices for imported oil, the Commerce Department reported today. Imports continued to surge – rising for the fourth consecutive month in January by 5.2% on a monthly [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit widened to a record high in November. According to the ONS, the goods trade gap widened to £8.736 billion in November from an upwardly revised £8.591 billion the previous month. This represented the biggest deficit since monthly records began more than 30 [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade deficit unexpectedly widened in October. According to the ONS, the goods trade gap widened to £8.5 billion in October, up from an upwardly revised deficit of £8.3 billion the previous month. Analysts had expected a deficit of £8.05 billion. The ONS said exports [...]
China’s trade surplus widened lat month – to reach its second highest level this year, official data showed today. The trade surplus grew to $27.1 billion (£17 billion) – far higher than September’s $16.9 billion but just slightly below the $28.7 billion reported in July. Exports and imports grew considerably, with exports up 22.9% on [...]
Germany’s statistics office, Destatis, today revealed exports rose 3% on the month in September to €84.3 billion (£73.09 billion). On an annual basis, exports are up 22.5%. Export demand helped to bring Germany out of recession in the second quarter of last year – much sooner than many of its counterparts throughout the world. The [...]
The Commerce Department today announced the US trade deficit widened in August by 8.8% to $46.6 billion (£29 billion), from $42.58 billion in August. Economists had expected a $44.5 billion gap. According to the Commerce Department, the widening in the trade deficit was primarily due to record imports from China. Imports from China rose 6.1% [...]
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% – where they have been since March 2009. Furthermore, the Bank opted not to inject any more funds into the economy via its quantitative easing (QE) scheme – introduced to [...]
The Commerce Department today announced the US trade deficit widened in June to $49.90 billion (£31.8 billion) – the highest level in 20 months and much higher than the $42.2 billion most economists had expected. According to the Commerce Department, the further widening in the trade deficit was primarily due to rising imports from China [...]
China’s trade surplus widened to $28.7 billion (£17.9 billion) last month as exports soared. Not only did the trade surplus surge from June’s $20.02 billion, but it exceeded expectations of a $19.6 billion surplus. The figure represented the highest since January 2009, when it stood at $39.11 billion. Exports grew 38.1% in July on an [...]
The Commerce Department today announced the US trade deficit widened in May to $42.3 billion (£28 billion) – an 18-month high. Most economists had expected the deficit to fall to $39.4 billion. The trade gap for goods and services grew 4.8% from $40.3 billion in April, the Commerce Department said. The figures showed that imports [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade gap widened more than anticipated in May. According to the ONS, exports of goods grew 0.2% compared with April to £21.5 billion, while imports also grew on the month, by 2.4% to £29.5 billion. The ONS said the UK’s goods trade deficit with [...]
The Commerce Department today announced the US trade deficit widened to $40.3 billion (£27.5 billion) in April – a 16-month high. The deficit was slightly lower than the $41.3 billion the market had forecast. According to official figures, imports totalled $189.1 billion – down 0.4% on the previous month. Meanwhile, exports were worth $148.8 billion [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade gap widened in April, hit by disruption due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud which hit both exports and imports. According to the ONS, exports fell 0.6% in April – the first fall since January’s decline of 5.7% which was hit by the [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK’s trade gap widened in March, due to a surge in imports. According to the ONS, exports rose by 1% in March, but imports accelerated 5.2% in the month – the fastest rate since September 2009. The surge in imports meant the trade gap rose [...]
The UK’s biggest coal producer, UK Coal, has today reported increased losses for the 2009 year due to a fall in production and lower coal prices. The company said pre-tax losses grew to £129.1 million for the full year, against a loss of £15.6 million the previous year. Meanwhile, revenues plunged by 20% to £316 [...]
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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