Government’s Brexit dance is maiming the pound October 18, 2016 Inflation is coming to eat the pound in your pocket. Today, data for September is expected to show that prices in the UK rose by an annual 0.9 per cent rate, up from 0.6 per cent in August, driven by energy and food prices. However, the full impact of the recent plunge in sterling will [...]
Nick Clegg attacked for claiming Brexit will cause food prices to rise October 18, 2016 Nick Clegg faced a furious backlash yesterday evening as he was rounded on for claiming food prices would jump after the UK leaves the EU. As a new report reveals the creeping cost of the EU customs union and inflation figures due this morning are set to show price rises running at their highest level [...]
Eyes on Draghi as Eurozone inflation hits two year high October 17, 2016 Inflation across the Eurozone hit a two-year high in September in more good news for Mario Draghi in his war with stagnant prices and sclerotic growth. Prices rose by 0.4 per cent over the 12 months to September, Eurostat said this morning, as measured on the consumer prices index (CPI). That was in line with [...]
Sterling hit its lowest level on record last night October 12, 2016 The pound fell to its lowest ever level during yesterday afternoon's brutal sell-off as the currency remains under intense pressure. Sterling, which has been suffering at the hands of nervy traders keeping both eyes on every utterance from Prime Minister Theresa May, hit its weakest mark on the Bank of England's "effective exchange rate index" [...]
Consumer confidence hits pre-referendum levels, but could inflation knock the UK economy off course? September 29, 2016 Brits are feeling just as optimistic about the state of the UK economy as they were before the referendum, a leading indicator has revealed. GfK’s consumer confidence barometer, out today, has bounced back to levels last seen in May and June, before the UK’s historic vote to leave the EU sent the index crashing at [...]
US economy set to feast out on super-size food exports September 29, 2016 The US economy is set to come roaring back to life in the second half of the year on the back of a bumper summer food harvest. Figures out this afternoon showed the world's largest economy grew by 1.4 per cent on an annualised basis in the second quarter of the year – a slight upwards [...]
Consumer spending eases back after summer splurge September 27, 2016 UK shoppers cut back in September following a summer splurge, though it has not dented the confidence of retailers, a new survey has found. The CBI’s distributive trades survey found 38 per cent of shops said sales volumes were down on September last year, while 30 per cent reported growth. The score of minus eight [...]
Supermarket sales continue to edge upwards in the months following the Brexit vote September 20, 2016 Supermarket sales continued to edge upwards this month, increasing by 0.3 per cent for the three months ending 11 September. The growth was against a backdrop of price deflation of 1.1 per cent. Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, said: “While overall sales growth has been slow, consumers have been keen [...]
UK inflation flattened out in August September 13, 2016 Inflation remained flat at 0.6 per cent in August, still way below the Bank of England's two per cent target, official figures have shown. Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the consumer price index (CPI) missed expectations of a 0.7 per cent rise. “Fuel costs falling more slowly than a year ago as well [...]
The chancellor’s fiscal reset is a golden opportunity to slash living costs through tax cuts and planning reform September 5, 2016 Philip Hammond recently said that he may use the Autumn Statement to “reset” fiscal policy. That is a welcome sentiment because it suggests the chancellor sees before him a golden opportunity to transform the tax system. With Parliament returning, we are likely to see the government start to formulate and publicise more detailed economic policy [...]