UK unemployment falls unexpectedly as wage growth slows to two-year low August 13, 2024 UK unemployment unexpectedly fell in the three months to June while a slowdown in wage growth to its lowest level in more than two years added to signs that the jobs market is cooling.
Will the Bank of England cut interest rates again? Experts are divided August 8, 2024 Following the decision, Governor Andrew Bailey stressed that the Bank must be careful "not to cut interest rates too quickly or by too much", but investors have drawn their own conclusions.
Slack continues to build in jobs market but employers look to ‘green shoots’ August 8, 2024 The survey pointed to a subdued demand for staff as a key reason for the decline in permanent placements, which extended the downturn to nearly two years.
UK economy’s recovery from pandemic stronger than first thought August 7, 2024 The UK economy recovered from the pandemic faster than had previously been thought, new revisions from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. In the latest set of Blue Book revisions, the ONS upgraded their estimate for GDP growth in 2022 from 4.3 per cent to 4.8 per cent. This upgrade was a “little larger” [...]
Rachel Reeves’s investment cuts ‘concerning’ and send a ‘worrying signal’ says think tank August 7, 2024 In its latest set of forecasts, the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) warned that the new government would fall well short of its growth target unless it lifted public investment.
IFS: Reeves tweaking debt rule won’t change fiscal fundamentals August 7, 2024 The Chancellor has inherited a very difficult fiscal position, with many public services in need of funding boosts while both the tax burden and national debt stand at their highest level for many decades.
Treasury’s QE bill might reach £95bn, Bank of England estimates show August 6, 2024 The latest estimate, released today by the Bank of England in a quarterly update, is a slight increase on the Bank’s previous upper estimate of £85bn.
Construction activity hits fastest pace in two years as housing sector returns to growth August 6, 2024 The reading put the construction sector in expansion for the fifth consecutive month and was the fastest pace of growth since May 2022.
How the Bank of Japan fuelled the market rout August 5, 2024 Japanese equity markets suffered their worst day in decades as part of a global market sell-off fuelled in part by a long-awaited normalisation in Japan’s monetary policy. The Nikkei 225 lost 12.4 per cent on Monday, its worst day since 1987. The rout wiped out all the gains made by the Nikkei this year. The [...]
Solid services sector ‘bodes well’ for UK economy despite stubborn price pressures August 5, 2024 Business activity in the services sector picked up in July, according to a closely watched business survey, suggesting that the economy will continue to grow in the months ahead. S&P’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the services sector picked up to 52.5 last month, rising from 52.1 in June and marginally ahead of the 52.4 [...]