Low inflation in 2015 battered businesses as consumers rejoiced January 18, 2016 Businesses lost out to the tune of £16.8bn last year due to low inflation, new research given to City A.M. shows. Prices were only 0.1 per cent higher in November than a year ago, well below the Bank of England’s two per cent inflation target, and hovered around zero per cent for most of 2015. [...]
Big Four fight back: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco report rising sales after years of stagnation January 15, 2016 Tesco became the third supermarket to reveal better-than expected Christmas results yesterday, in the clearest sign yet that the industry is staging a successful fightback against German discounters Aldi and Lidl. The so-called big four – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons – have been battling to respond to changing shopping habits and reverse the tide [...]
Eurozone inflation stays at 0.2 per cent in December January 5, 2016 Inflation in the Eurozone was 0.2 per cent in December, unchanged from the month before, according to official estimates released this morning. The rate of energy price declines slowed to 5.9 per cent from 7.3 per cent, the figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, reveal. However, this was offset by slower growth in food, alcohol [...]
German inflation falls further below Eurozone target January 4, 2016 Inflation in Germany, the biggest economy in the Eurozone, failed to build on previous increases in December. Prices rose 0.3 per cent year-on-year, down from 0.4 per cent the month before, the figures released by German statistical office Destatis show. Annual energy price declines slowed to 6.5 per cent in December from 7.5 per cent. However, food prices [...]
The UK’s ethical market is worth £38bn – powered by growth in electric cars and solar panels December 29, 2015 The UK’s ethical market is now worth £38bn, with a new report showing it soaring by £3bn in the last year alone. Inflation has barely risen above 0.5 per cent, but that hasn’t stopped the value of ethical sales growing eight per cent in the same period, according to the annual Ethical Consumer Markets Report, released today [...]
UK retail sales smash expectations in November as the Black Friday effect hits December 17, 2015 UK retail sales performed better than expected last month, partly driven by sales on Black Friday. Retail sales grew five per cent compared with last November, and grew 1.7 per cent from October, the Office for National Statistics reported this morning. James Knightly, a senior global economist at ING, said sales had been expected to rise just [...]
Hold onto your hat: It’s Saxo Bank’s outrageous predictions for 2016 including the oil price, the US presidential campaign, euros vs dollars, Brazil, Russia and the end of the luxury sector December 16, 2015 Bored by predictions for 2016 that tentatively forecast interest rate rises and a slight dampening of the property market? Want something that will really make you prepare for the worst (or best) case scenarios out there? Well hold onto your hat, because it's Saxo Bank's annual outrageous predictions for the year ahead, and they are just [...]
With consumer price index inflation inching up to 0.1 per cent, could the period of persistently low inflation be about to end? December 15, 2015 Kallum Pickering, senior UK economist at Berenberg, says Yes Falling oil prices and sterling appreciation have exerted strong but temporary effects on headline inflation, bringing it to zero for most of 2015. But even if there is more disinflationary pressure to come from oil in the near term, prices cannot fall forever. Eventually, the oil [...]
US inflation jumps ahead of Federal Reserve interest rate decision December 15, 2015 US inflation rose to a 2015-high in September as the impact of low energy prices began to fade. Annual inflation, as measured by the year-on-year change in the consumer price index, jumped to 0.5 per cent in November from October’s 0.2 per cent. The figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the impact of oil [...]
UK inflation: We’re back in the black as inflation moves into positive territory December 15, 2015 UK inflation rose to 0.1 per cent in November, figures by the Office for National Statistics showed today – putting the UK back into positive territory for the first time since July. But analysts were less than optimistic about its ability to stay in the black. The figures showed rises in transport costs and alcohol [...]