Tumbling prices see Greece lead Eurozone into deeper deflation February 24, 2015 Deflation deepened to its most severe rate since 2009 across the euro area in January, with Greece recording the sharpest fall in prices. Annual inflation came in at minus 0.6 per cent across the bloc, according to figures published yesterday, down from 0.2 per cent in December. The rate has been dragged down by lower [...]
Our key takeaways from Mark Carney’s speech on UK interest rates February 24, 2015 During a speech to MPs earlier today, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said an interest rate hike before the end of the year looked likely. Reading out highlights from the central bank's quarterly inflation report, he told parliament’s treasury select committee that the rise would take place despite low consumer inflation, which [...]
FTSE stripped of £2.7bn by strong sterling February 22, 2015 The FTSE 350 was hit hard by the high pound in 2014, losing in excess of £2.7bn in sales, according to new analysis. For companies on the index with full year results with year ends up to the end of September, annual revenues on a like-for-like basis were down 1.7 per cent on the same [...]
The FTSE 100 closed at its highest level in 15 years last night, and is inching further towards an all-time high February 18, 2015 Britain's benchmark index continued to snap at the heels of an all-time closing high of 6,930 this morning. which was reached on the last day of trading in 1999 when markets were busily inflating over tech stocks. This comes after the FTSE 100 closed at its highest level in 15 years yesterday, or its second best [...]
Plunging inflation may knock deficit reduction February 17, 2015 Inflation fell to a record low in January, giving a welcome boost to hard-pressed households – but a group of economists warned the drop will harm the government’s finances, because tax receipts rise when prices go up. Prices rose by just 0.3 per cent in the 12 months to January, the Office for National Statistics said [...]
FTSE up on hope that Bank will keep rates low – London Report February 17, 2015 Britain’s top share index yesterday climbed to a five-month high on expectations that the Bank of England would keep interest rates down, after data showed inflation sank to a record low in January. The annual inflation rate fell to 0.3 per cent last month from 0.5 per cent in December, official data showed, largely reflecting [...]
Record low inflation should not rule out a post-election rate rise February 17, 2015 The long-term view of UK inflation is much more positive than January’s figures suggest. Yesterday’s numbers showed that the UK inflation rate has fallen further – to 0.3 per cent. But the decline is showing signs of bottoming out – and temporary fluctuations should not distract us from this. Excluding food, drink, tobacco and energy, [...]
Britain close to deflation as oil drags on prices – London Report February 15, 2015 CONSUMER price inflation is expected to have fallen to a record low, with figures out this week likely to show it reached 0.3 per cent in January. The rate was 0.5 per cent in December – at a low since comparable records began in 1989 – and it is forecast to have fallen further, as [...]
Bank of England inflation report: UK inflation rate could slide into negative February 12, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned UK inflation could slip into negative territory this spring, but he also upgraded the economy's growth forecasts on the belief it's most likely to be benign. Threadneedle Street warned it was "more likely than not that headline inflation would turn negative this year". In such a scenario, it would [...]
Fat Britain: More people in UK and Ireland view themselves as overweight than anywhere else in Europe February 9, 2015 When it comes to self-image, people in the UK have an inflated view of themselves. A higher percentage of people in Ireland and Britain consider themselves to be “overweight” than anywhere else in Europe, according to a survey by information service Nielsen. Out of the 32 countries included, Ireland came in first [...]