Interactive: UK inflation hits 0.3 per cent, but how does it compare to other European Union countries? February 17, 2015 UK inflation slowed to 0.3 per cent in January, lower than December’s figure of 0.5 per cent and a good distance below the two per cent target for the Bank of England. More on this story: UK inflation falls to its lowest since records began But the UK is not alone in missing targets: the [...]
UK inflation falls to 0.3 per cent in January, its lowest since records began in 1989 February 17, 2015 UK inflation has fallen to its lowest level since equivalent records began in 1989, as plunging oil prices and a bitter supermarket price war push down the cost of living. The consumer price index (CPI) – which measures the cost of items in a typical family's shopping basket – rose just 0.3 per cent in January [...]
Japan is out of recession: Economy grew 2.2pc in the fourth quarter sending shares near an eight-year high February 16, 2015 Japan a has emerged from recession in the fourth quarter, the latest official figures revealed, sending Japanese shares to their highest level in eight years despite slower than expected economic growth. The world's third-largest economy grew by 2.2 per cent in the three months to December on an annualised basis, missing expectations of 3.7 per cent . The [...]
Reshoring could bring £15bn lift to UK economy February 15, 2015 BRINGING the manufacturing of goods back to the UK, or reshoring, could add £15.3bn of GDP to the economy by 2025 as the advantages of the developing world lessen. Over 315,000 new jobs could be created for the country as the labour, transport and regulatory costs of producing goods in places like China and Thailand [...]
Inflation worries shaped Bank of England interest rate vote February 15, 2015 Worries about the UK’s economy entering into a deflationary spiral stayed the hand of two Bank of England board members who had wanted an early interest rate rise. Martin Weale, an inflation hawk and independent member of the monetary policy committee, wrote an article for the Observer, in which eh explained the reasons for his [...]
Virgin Media plans billion-pound broadband investment in “£8bn boost” to UK economy February 13, 2015 Virgin Media has unveiled major plans to invest in its broadband network which it says will benefit the UK economy by £8bn. The £3bn of investment will also create 6,000 jobs over the next five years, 1,000 of which will be apprenticeships, the Liberty Global-owned company has said. Virgin will increase by a third the number [...]
Bank of England’s Mark Carney: Interest rate cut is possible as UK heads toward deflation February 12, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney revealed yesterday that interest rates could drop even further below their historic low of 0.5 per cent, as the collapse in global oil prices drags Britain towards deflation. In a mandatory letter to chancellor George Osborne, Carney said that if “global activity continues to disappoint, or if low inflation [...]
Bank of England inflation report: UK inflation rate could slide into negative February 12, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned UK inflation could slip into negative territory this spring, but he also upgraded the economy's growth forecasts on the belief it's most likely to be benign. Threadneedle Street warned it was "more likely than not that headline inflation would turn negative this year". In such a scenario, it would [...]
Sweden just cut its interest rates to negative and announced a bond-buying scheme February 12, 2015 The Swedish krona plunged 1.73 per cent to its lowest against the dollar in five years today, after the Riksbank – the world's oldest central bank – cut its key interest rate to -0.1 per cent. The cut, from 0.25 per cent, is an effort to combat a deflationary spiral in the country. Sweden's inflation [...]
Pound edges towards a seven-year high against the euro February 10, 2015 The pound rose as much as 0.5 per cent against the euro this morning, pushing it close to its highest since 2008. One euro now costs close to 74.1p, near the 74.3p it cost on Valentine's Day 2008. The rise followed encouraging data from the UK's manufacturing industry. Official data published this morning showed manufacturing [...]