City workers kick off 2016 in the mood to move jobs as confidence climbs February 11, 2016 City workers began 2016 with itchy feet, according to new figures published today by a recruiter. Morgan McKinley said the number of job seekers reached 16,924 in January, up 67 per cent compared with the same month last year. A higher number of job seekers is associated with more elevated worker confidence. While the number [...]
Bank of England’s Andrew Hauser defends financial crisis safety net on the 150th anniversary of the Overend and Gurney panic February 10, 2016 A Bank of England official has defended the safety net it used in response to the financial crisis. Andrew Hauser, executive director of banking, payments and financial resilience, said the Bank’s lender-of-last-resort (LOLR) operations during the 2007 and 2008 financial crises “helped prevent global economic and financial meltdown.” The Bank first lent cash to Northern Rock in [...]
Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen flags risk to growth from financial market turmoil February 10, 2016 US interest rates could stay on hold for longer if the current financial market volatility persists. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen warned that continuing swings in financial markets could partially derail the economy's growth, and said financial conditions had already become "less supportive". However she dismissed the idea that the Federal Reserve may need to [...]
UK manufacturing rounds off a poor 2015 with end-of-year stagnation February 10, 2016 The UK's manufacturing sector ended its decline toward the end of last year, but contracted over 2015 as a whole. Factory output was the same in the final three months of 2015 compared with the three months to September, the Office for National Statistics said this morning. The stagnation rounded off a poor year for the [...]
Slash foreign aid and boost immigration from poor countries to aid development, says Adam Smith Institute February 10, 2016 Foreign aid should slashed and replaced with a more liberal immigration system, a Westminster think tank has said today. In a new report the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) said allowing people to move to the UK from poor countries to work could boost their income 20 to 30 times. The report also argues that “doling [...]
Worries over German economic growth after industrial production dives February 9, 2016 German industrial production suffered a sharp dip in December, raising fears over economic growth in the Eurozone's biggest economy. Industrial production dropped by 1.2 per cent in December compared with the previous month, German statistical office Destatis said this morning. Manufacturing output contracted by 1.1 per cent, with a big decline in capital goods – goods [...]
UK trade deficit widens in 2015 but outlook is bright for exports February 9, 2016 The UK's trade deficit – the amount it imports over what it exports – widened last year. The deficit widened by £0.3bn to £34.7bn, the Office for National Statistics said this morning. Britain ran a £125bn trade deficit in goods compared with a £90.3bn surplus in services. However, the widening in the trade deficit was [...]
Interest rate hike more unlikely as Bank of England’s Sir Jon Cunliffe signals lending restrictions February 9, 2016 The Bank of England is likely to tighten lending restrictions rather than raise interest rates if the growth rate of credit exceeds that of GDP, a Bank official has said. Sir Jon Cunliffe said: “Given the vulnerability that already exists and the powerful drivers in the UK, particularly in the housing market, if credit began again to [...]
Skills gap could put brakes on UK’s car manufacturing boom – Automotive Council and SMMT February 9, 2016 The UK's booming car industry, one of few bright patches in the country’s struggling manufacturing sector, is being threatened by a shortage of skills. There are up to 5,000 current vacancies in the automotive industry, according to figures published today by the Automotive Council. Around 19 per cent of the unfilled vacancies were having a significant impact [...]
Think tank Niesr criticises quality of facts in UK immigration debate February 9, 2016 A London think tank has slammed the quality of the debate on immigration, arguing that better facts would improve the discussion. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) showed a short video to focus groups to test the view that public attitudes on immigration are stubborn and based on emotion rather than evidence. One [...]