A report by the World Bank has revealed food prices are up 33% in the year to July on the back of volatile oil costs. Crude oil prices are up 45% on the year (due to political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa) and this has affected production and transport costs, all contributing [...]
According to the World Bank, soaring food prices have pushed more than 40 million people into poverty in the last year. Worryingly, a further 10% increase in food prices would push 10 million below the extreme poverty line – defined as an income of less than $1.25 a day. Robert Zoellick, World Bank president, was [...]
According to Justin Lin, the World Bank’s chief economist, China has the potential to overtake the US and become the world’s largest economy. Mr Lin’s comments come shortly after official data last month revealed China had become the world’s second largest economy – taking over from Japan, which slipped into the third place. At the [...]
According to the World Bank, Japan’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami has caused up to £145 billion ($235 billion) of damage and will impact on the country’s economic growth. The World Bank estimates approximately 0.5% will be reduced from growth this year, as a result, and reconstruction could take five years. The Japanese economy grew [...]
China’s central bank has refused to bow to pressure to allow its currency, the yuan, to find its own level, after the bank’s website said: “There is at present no basis for major fluctuation or change in the [yuan] exchange rate”. The country’s currency policy has been widely criticised and its comments come just 24 [...]
China is still under pressure to allow its currency, the yuan, to find its own level, in order to ease inflation and to prevent the economy from overheating. The World Bank is now urging the Chinese Government to allow the yuan, which is also referred to as the renminbi, to strengthen against other international currencies. [...]
The World Bank has raised its GDP forecast for China and urged the Government to let the yuan appreciate to stop the economy overheating. China‘s economy, which is currently the world’s third largest, has led the way in the global recovery and many have described its recovery as “impressive”. In a quarterly update on China, [...]
Stock markets in Asia have experienced a fall in today’s trading after yesterday’s World Bank report provided a gloomy assessment. Both the US and Europe experienced declines yesterday following the report which predicted that the global economy would contract by almost 3% this year – revised from an earlier forecast of 1.7%. London’s FTSE 100 [...]
Stockmarkets throughout the world have risen today as leaders of the world’s largest economies gather in London for the G20 summit. London‘s FTSE 100 index broke through the 4000 mark gaining 135 points to 4090.65 points this morning. However, the gains could also be attributed to the announcement from the Nationwide today, which revealed a [...]
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Britain is heading for the worst economic downturn since the end of the Second World War, and the organisation has drastically cut forecasts as the signs for recovery are poor. The OECD forecasts are that UK GDP would fall by 3.7 percent by the end [...]
The World Bank is providing the gloomiest forecast yet for the global economy predicting that it will shrink this year for the first time since the Second World War. The forecast is part of a report which has been prepared for next week’s meeting of finance ministers from the 20 industrialised and large developing countries. [...]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the World Bank have all pledged today to invest €24.5 billion (£21.9 billion) into the banking sectors in Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, the funds are aimed at supporting small firms and helping them to survive the global economic downturn. [...]
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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