UK shrugs off deflation as prices rise 0.1 per cent in May June 16, 2015 Inflation rose by 0.1 per cent in the year to May according the Office for National Statistics, up from -0.1 per cent a month earlier, and ending a brief spell of deflation. "The largest upward contribution to the change came from transport services, notably air fares with the timing of Easter in April a likely [...]
Britain likely to exit deflation next week June 12, 2015 Economists have said that official data due to be released next week will likely show Britain escaped from a brief period of technical deflation last month. They think that prices could have risen slightly in May due to higher fuel prices, alongside increases in the cost of air/sea transport, and holiday prices. Inflation turned fell by [...]
Bank of England’s Ian McCafferty says time for interest rate rise nearing June 12, 2015 Bank of England official Ian McCafferty has said the time for an interest rate hike is drawing closer, with the factors keeping a lid on inflation are expected to fade "as we move into next year". "The economy is starting to return to more normal conditions, after arguably the biggest shock in over a hundred [...]
Where to find the best value cash accounts: They won’t trump equities, but zero inflation makes them more attractive June 9, 2015 The UK is a nation of cash savers, with half of Britain’s collective wealth sitting in instant access accounts. Inflation may stand below zero at present (it was -0.1 per cent in April), making cash a reasonably attractive option, but it will not stay there forever. Indeed, research released earlier this week by Henderson [...]
How to lose money: Our flawed fixation on the safety of cash is losing us billions every year June 7, 2015 Savers in the UK rely far too heavily on cash. Between us, we have an astonishing £729bn sitting in savings accounts of various kinds, and it’s been earning only around 1 per cent a year on average since 2009. Fifty per cent of that money is in instant access accounts earning less than half that. The [...]
Can a currency save an economy? What the UK example teaches us June 2, 2015 Much has been said of global currency wars in the past few years. If there has been such a war, then arguably the UK fired the opening shot with a trade-weighted depreciation in the value of the pound of nearly 30 per cent between the summer of 2007 and the end of 2008. This was [...]
The global economy is vulnerable – but we must stop panicking about deflation May 20, 2015 As UK inflation turned negative in April, some took the news as yet more evidence that the spectre of deflation haunts the world economy. Deflation is all too often seen as a dark cloud hovering over the horizon, about to unleash its destructive force. But deflation and depression are not synonymous. The Great Depression in [...]
Enjoy it while you can! Analysts say deflation will not be here to stay May 19, 2015 Deflation has finally arrived in the UK for the first time since the 1960s, but economists are almost unanimous in saying it will be temporary. Inflation – as measured by the year-on-year change in the consumer price index (CPI) – was minus 0.1 per cent in April. The last time inflation was this low, [...]
UK deflation: Why the normal rules just don’t apply May 19, 2015 Today, it was announced that the UK is in a period of deflation. It will almost certainly be a brief period. On the face of it, there is not much difference between the price level being stable and the price level falling by 0.1 per cent a year. At that rate, it would take [...]
What is the difference between good and bad deflation? May 19, 2015 Official data released today has shown that the UK slipped into deflation for the first time in over 50 years. Normally the word deflation has economists running for the hills, but this time around the mantra has been that this is very much a case of "good deflation". But just what is good deflation, and [...]