Eurozone GDP growth confirmed at 0.6 per cent – faster than US and UK June 7, 2016 The Eurozone grew a little faster than expected in the first quarter of this year, the most recent back-and-forth revisions to official GDP statistics have revealed. Figures published by Eurostat this morning confirmed that the Eurozone economy grew by 0.6 per cent during the first three months of the year, up from the most recent estimation of [...]
EU referendum: Where does your industry come on the Brexit hit list? June 7, 2016 Had enough of people talking about vague referendum uncertainty and a post-Brexit hit to the UK economy? Suspicious they don't really know what they're going on about? With so many warnings about thousands of pounds lost here, higher costs over there and general panic just about everywhere, it's understandable. In an attempt to get a [...]
Halifax says house prices could be reaching unsustainable levels as property prices soar despite EU referendum June 7, 2016 There were no surprises in the latest numbers on house prices, released this morning – they are still going up. The average house was worth £213,472 in the three months to May, according to the Halifax house price index, 9.2 per cent more than the same period last year. The bank said the same old story [...]
Lord Heseltine wants Teeside to become an economic powerhouse June 7, 2016 Teeside can become an economic powerhouse following the collapse of the steel industry, former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has said today. In a new report, "Tees Valley: Opportunity Unlimited" prepared for the government, Heseltine said parts of the region had descended into a "scene of desolation", and called for more investment into the area, a [...]
Ignore Remain’s Brexit deceptions: EU backers are the real protectionists June 7, 2016 Following Michael Gove’s impressive performance in the Sky “debate” last week, the Stronger In campaign was always going to clutch at straws to find some supposed slip-up to exploit. This time it was Gove’s admission that “I cannot say that everybody in their current job will keep their job” following a Brexit. This, the Remain [...]
Pubs, restaurants, garden centres and clothes stores win in early summer spending spree June 7, 2016 Consumer spending roared back in May with shoppers celebrating the arrival of warm weather by splashing the cash in pubs, restaurants and garden centres. The latest spending data from Barclaycard showed consumer spending jumped 3.6 per cent after weak figures for March and April saw growth fall to a two-year low. Spending in pubs jumped [...]
Retail sales back to growth in May as warmer weather encourages spending June 7, 2016 Retail sales picked up in May as consumers took to the internet to start their summer splurge. Sales grew by 1.4 per cent in the UK retail industry, following two months of flat-lining, in a welcome, if modest, boost to the struggling industry, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Once again, however, sales growth was driven [...]
UK automotive industry to accelerate investment plans June 7, 2016 Suppliers to the UK's car makers will invest £225 million over the next three years in a big boost to the UK's manufacturing base. Research by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) of 100 members of the UK car making supply chain showed an overwhelming majority of companies feel confident in the health of the industry and optimistic [...]
Retail and manufacturing slowdown hits the logistics industry June 7, 2016 Logistics firms are being squeezed by a higher cost of doing business and increasing pressure from struggling retailers and manufacturers, according to a new report. Barclays found 49 per cent of businesses said trading conditions had become more difficult over the last six months, as its measure of confidence hit its lowest level since the [...]
Lord Stern delivers stark warning to Mark Carney’s climate task force June 6, 2016 A leading economist said oil, gas and coal firms risk financial ruin if they ignore global climate agreements, in a stark warning to the task force set up by Bank of England governor Mark Carney. Lord Nicholas Stern, who is renowned for his work on climate change, warned: "Business models reliant on the assumption that governments were [...]