Natwest increases small business loan programme amid Brexit uncertainty April 23, 2019 Natwest will double its growth funding programme for small and medium-sized British businesses, citing the need to help them navigate Brexit disruption. Read more: Government provides £200m for small firms as Brexit threatens EU funding The UK bank’s growth funding loan pot, which was started in May 2018, will be immediately doubled to £6bn in [...]
Euro falls as data suggests Eurozone economy will grow just one per cent in 2019 April 18, 2019 The euro suffered today as economic data dealt a fresh blow to hopes for the Eurozone economy. Read more: Eurozone construction sector bounces back in February after weak January Germany and France’s manufacturing industries are contracting, a closely-followed index revealed, with both staying lower than the 50 measure representing growth. Overall, both the Eurozone’s leading [...]
No Brexit is now more likely than no-deal Brexit, economists predict April 18, 2019 Britain remaining in the EU is now more likely than a disorderly Brexit, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The poll found that Britain leaving with a free trade deal of some description was still the most likely outcome but Brexit being cancelled jumped above a no-deal scenario into third place in the latest [...]
Retail sales jump much higher than expected in March as shoppers keep spending April 18, 2019 Retail sales enjoyed a surprising boost in March climbing much higher than expected, led by a spike in food shopping. Sales rose 1.1 per cent month-on-month, above expectations of a 0.3 per cent drop as food store sales and non-store retailing drove the increase, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Year-on-year sales jumped 6.7 per cent [...]
From housing to recycling, fuzzy tokenism is no substitute for action April 18, 2019 The brakes are temporarily on the Brexit saga for Easter, giving the government an opportunity to address some of the major public policy issues that have been all but sucked up by the EU vacuum. Putting aside this administration’s inability to actually pass any legislation (Brexit or otherwise), one at least hopes for the promise [...]
US trade deficit shrinks as exports to China surge April 17, 2019 The US trade deficit narrowed again in February, the government said today, reaching its lowest figure in seven months as the Trump administration continues to wage tariff wars around the globe. Read more: EU trade in goods surplus with US increases as economic tensions rise The goods trade deficit with China decreased by 28 per [...]
‘Wake-up call’: Germany downgrades 2019 economic growth forecast to just 0.5 per cent April 17, 2019 The German government today once again slashed growth predictions for its economy, saying it now foresees a GDP increase of just 0.5 per cent in 2019, compared to the 2.1 per cent it predicted a year ago. Read more: Eurozone manufacturing sector contracts with Germany shrinking fastest Economy minister Peter Altmaier said new car emissions [...]
EU threatens $20bn of tariffs on US goods from ketchup to helicopters April 17, 2019 The European Union has threatened to slap $20bn (£15.3bn) worth of tariffs on American goods in retaliation for possible tariffs from the US, as the long-running conflict over aircraft subsidies continues. Read more: US threatens tariffs on $11bn of EU goods The European Commission today said it could tariff everything from rum and ketchup to tractors and helicopters, [...]
EU trade in goods surplus with US increases as economic tensions rise April 17, 2019 The European Union’s trade in goods surplus with the US grew in January and February compared to a year earlier, a development that could further raise tensions with the Trump administration. Read more: EU officials given go-ahead to negotiate with Trump on tariffs Meanwhile, the EU’s trade in goods deficit with China increased, driven by [...]
UK inflation rate holds steady at 1.9 per cent sending Britons’ real wages higher April 17, 2019 The UK’s headline annual inflation rate remained unchanged in March, staying at 1.9 per cent, meaning Britons’ real wages are increasing as pay growth outstrips price rises. Read more: London house price plunge drags down UK-wide growth rate Meanwhile the inflation rate including housing costs and council tax stayed at 1.8 per cent, where it [...]