US jobs recovery slows ahead of November election October 2, 2020 The recovery in the US jobs market slowed in September as fiscal stimulus and pent-up demand ran dry, according to the last set of official figures before the November presidential election. More than 660,000 Americans found work last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said. However, the jobs growth undershot the 850,000 increase predicted [...]
UK GDP forecast to shrink by around 10 per cent in 2020 October 1, 2020 Economic forecasters expect UK GDP to contract by around 10 per cent in 2020 following a tightening of coronavirus restrictions. New research published today by PwC has forecast a contraction of between 11 and 12 per cent for the year, while S&P Global has predicted the UK economy will contract by 9.7 per cent. Both [...]
UK PMIs: Manufacturing recovery continues despite fresh lockdown fears October 1, 2020 Britain’s manufacturing sector continued its strong recovery from the coronavirus slump in September, although it dropped off the record pace set in August. The IHS Markit/Cips manufacturing purchasing managers (PMI) index stood at 54.1 in September, with any score above the 50 mark indicating growth. In August, the index recorded a score of 55.2, its [...]
US GDP plummets 31 per cent in second quarter to lowest on record September 30, 2020 US GDP plummeted 31.4 per cent in the three months to July to the lowest level on record, data revealed today, as President Donald Trump scrambles to restore the economy ahead of the presidential election next month. Annualised figures released today by the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) revised up an earlier estimate which [...]
BoE’s Andy Haldane warns against ‘Chicken Licken’ economic pessimism September 30, 2020 The Bank of England’s chief economist said there was a risk that overly pessimistic “Chicken Licken” views about the impact of Covid-19 would hold back Britain’s economic recovery from the pandemic. In a speech given today, Andy Haldane said that authorities such as the BoE have a “public responsibility to avoid economic catastrophizing” during the [...]
Coronavirus: UK economy slumped by a fifth in second quarter September 30, 2020 The UK economy suffered a record-breaking collapse in the second quarter, slumping 19.8 per cent as the coronavirus pandemic hammered demand and left swathes of the economy unable to operate. Gross domestic product shrank by 19.8 per cent in between April and June, the Office for National Statistics said, slightly less than the initial 20.4 [...]
UK mortgage approvals hit 13-year high in August as post-lockdown surge continues September 29, 2020 UK mortgage approvals hit a 13-year high in August as pent-up demand post-lockdown continued to boost the housing market, but consumers became more cautious about day-to-day borrowing. Mortgage approvals for the month were 84,700, according to new data from the Bank of England — the highest rate of approvals since October 2007, just before the [...]
Evidence on negative rates ‘encouraging’, says Bank of England policymaker September 27, 2020 The Bank of England has seen “encouraging” evidence that negative interest rates could help the British economy during the downturn triggered by the coronavirus, a policymaker has said. Silvana Tenreyro, who sits on the Bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC), said the committee has been discussing what options it has in its toolkit, including “how effective [...]
How mid-market businesses can keep on top of their evolving VAT obligations September 24, 2020 | City Talk In this article, I ask my VAT colleague, Mitchell Piper, for his views on how businesses can keep up to date with VAT changes. Value Added Tax (VAT), like all taxes, evolves over time to adapt to changes in society, technology and business practices. Good examples of this are the recent VAT rate reductions in [...]
US jobless claims rise as economic recovery stalls September 24, 2020 The number of Americans making new claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week amid worrying signs that the economic recovery was stalling. There were 870,000 jobless claims last week, up from 866,000 for the week ending 12 September, according to figures from the US Labor Department. The rise came as a shock to economists, [...]