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UK inflation: Business groups IoD and BCC split over when BoE should raise rates August 18, 2015 Two of Britain's biggest business groups have clashed over when the Bank of England (BoE) should raise interest rates, after today's inflation data. Official data released this morning showed inflation unexpectedly rose 0.1 per cent in the year to July. But this remains well below the BoE's target for two per cent. At the same [...]
Chinese stocks tumble as Shangai Composite and Shenzhen Composite close six per cent lower August 18, 2015 Stocks in China plummeted overnight on concerns about weak demand in China, as well as disappointing manufacturing figures from the US. The Shanghai Composite – which has suffered in recent weeks as the People's Bank of China (PBoC) devalued the renminbi against the dollar – closed 6.15 per cent lower, at 3,748 points. Meanwhile, the [...]
UK inflation: Rail fares have risen “three times faster” than wages – but next year will be lowest increase for years August 18, 2015 Next year could the the first time in years that commuters beat the annual rail fare rise, with the rate based on July's inflation data published today. Economists have previously tipped the inflation measure to be around one per cent for July – the month which regulated rail fares are set by. That would make it [...]
Bank of England policymaker Kristin Forbes warns against keeping interest rates low for too long August 17, 2015 Bank of England policymaker Kristin Forbes has warned keeping interest rates low for too long risks undermining Britain's economic recovery. Earlier this month, when the monetary policy broke unanimity and voted 8-1 to hold rates, Forbes chose to stick with the majority. The US economist and external member of the monetary policy committee (MPC) said there [...]
Noflation: UK inflation expected to remain at zero August 16, 2015 Inflation is expected to remain at zero, or noflation as it has been dubbed, due to falling oil prices and a strong pound. Forecasters believe the official data from the Office of National Statistics due out on Tuesday, will show that prices remained the same in July. "Given renewed oil price weakness, with Brent crude [...]
Bank of England deputy governor Ben Broadbent says “no urgency” to raise rates; would be “foolish” to pre-announce interest rate hike date August 7, 2015 Bank of England (BoE) deputy governor Ben Broadbent has played down expectation that there could be a rate rise by the end of 2015. Mark Carney's second-in-command this morning said his boss's speech "did not say we can expect a rate rise around the turn of the year", adding it was "impossible" and "foolish" to pre-announce [...]
Bank of England Super Thursday: Which monetary policy committee member could vote for an interest rate rise? August 6, 2015 Economists, analysts and investors think the minutes of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting due out at midday could show the first minority dissent among the Bank's policymakers so far this year. But which members of the nine-strong MPC who could be itching to pull the trigger and hike rates? Martin Weale [...]
With GDP per head back at pre-crisis levels, should the Bank raise interest rates now? July 28, 2015 James Sproule, chief economist at the Institute of Directors, says Yes Inflation may be hovering around zero, but that is no reason for the Bank of England to hold interest rates. An economy with quarterly GDP growth of 0.7 per cent, unemployment at 5.6 per cent and real wage growth of around 3 per cent [...]
Commodities crash to 11-year low as deflation fears grow: Latest price slump complicates backdrop for interest rate hikes July 20, 2015 Global commodity prices have slumped amid a glut of supply and low demand – and now experts are foreseeing the prospect of deflation in the West. A basket of commodities measured by the Bloomberg commodities index has fallen to an 11-year low, and the index is down 42 per cent since its peak in [...]
Europe still has a problem with low inflation July 16, 2015 While consumers may be happy to see prices rising more slowly, central bankers and politicians around Europe are a little more nervous about how they are are behaving across the European Union and Eurozone. The European Union experienced annual inflation of just 0.1 per cent in June and the Eurozone only did marginally better with [...]