Inflation nudges up to 0.2 per cent as air fares rise – but cheap food and alcohol push CPI down January 19, 2016 Inflation rose 0.2 per cent in December – the first month in almost a year – although still far from the UK's target of two per cent. This is the first month since January 2015 that the rate has been higher than 0.1 per cent. The Consumer Price Index was nudged up by transport costs, particularly [...]
Holland & Barrett tells suppliers to foot the bill for company’s investment programme by reducing costs January 18, 2016 Healthfood retailer Holland and Barrett has urged its suppliers to slim down their costs by five per cent to help fund the company's pension scheme. In addition to the price cuts, the group wants its suppliers to foot the bill for its investment in security by paying for £3m-worth of security tags and high definition CCTV in the [...]
Davos 2016: What the global elites will be talking about at this year’s World Economic Forum January 18, 2016 More than 2,500 of the world’s top business leaders, politicians, economists and celebrities from over 100 countries will descend on Davos this week, taking over the Swiss ski resort for the World Economic Forum’s 46th annual meeting. While the four-day meeting’s official theme is “Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution” – WEF’s way of describing the [...]
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 [...]