US inflation soft as consumer price index climbs in line with expectations October 30, 2013 The US consumer price index for September met expectations, increasing 0.2 per cent, following August's 0.1 per cent rise. Excluding food and energy, though, prices went up by only 0.1 per cent for the month – the same increase as in August and below the consensus prediction of a 0.2 per cent rise. All the [...]
US producer price index decreases slightly in September owing to falling food costs October 29, 2013 The US producer price index fell 0.1 per cent in September, following analyst expectations it would rise by 0.2 per cent, and August's increase of 0.3 per cent. Year-on-year, the index continued to point to soft inflation, up by 0.3 per cent. Prices for finished consumer foods fell 1.0 per cent – the largest decline [...]
Letters to the Editor – 25/10 – Deferred costs, Best of Twitter October 24, 2013 Deferred costs [Re: The global economy sinks under its debts as the real cost of energy rises, yesterday] Tim Morgan’s article strikes at the real issue facing the global economy and all of us. Perpetual growth is almost certainly over. The debt problem of the credit crisis has not gone away, it has simply been transferred [...]
UK overtakes Estonia with highest EU inflation in September October 16, 2013 Eurozone inflation increased in September as the consumer price index rose to 0.5 per cent from August's 0.1 per cent, in line with expectations. Year-on-year, September saw an expected 1.1 per cent rise – broadly stable after August 2012 to August 2013's 1.3 per cent increase and the lowest level since February 2010. (Eurostat) In [...]
Stubborn price rises still above inflation target October 15, 2013 SOARING energy bills helped keep inflation firmly above its target in September, official figures showed yesterday. Prices increased by 2.7 per cent in the 12-month period, above the Bank of England’s two per cent and the same rate as in the year to August, according to the Office for National Statistics’ consumer prices index (CPI). The [...]
Mix it up: Absinthe cocktail is cultural gem in heart of Mayfair October 15, 2013 @philip_salter OLD HABITS die hard. But after more than a decade in London, I’ve finally managed to offload most of the dingy pubs, sleazy bars and uninspiring restaurants that I frequented when I first landed in the capital. It’s time you did the same. Let those dodgy establishments serving stale beer and saccharine cocktails slip [...]
Food price rises and the folly of inflation targeting October 15, 2013 New figures released this morning show that while above target inflation stays at 2.7 per cent in the year to September, food inflation is at a much higher 4.8 per cent. According to Shore Capital that's a 0.1 percentage point increase in the annual rate from August. Price rises in meat, vegetables and fruit were [...]
Retailers set for best Xmas sales since pre-crisis October 14, 2013 BRITISH retailers are set to enjoy their best growth in Christmas sales since the financial crisis, according to a report published yesterday that forecast consumers would spend at least £2bn more than in 2012. Market research specialist Verdict predicted that spending in the fourth quarter would rise 2.2 per cent from the same period in [...]
Inflation hits highest point for half a year in India and China October 14, 2013 INFLATION in the world’s two most populous countries reached seven-month highs in September, according to official statistics released by the Indian and Chinese governments yesterday. The effect of poor weather on food prices has been blamed for the rise in Chinese consumer inflation, which stood at 3.1 per cent in the year to last month. [...]
Chinese exports down as September sees strong demand and inflation October 14, 2013 (National Bureau of Statistics of China) With Chinese trade data coming in overnight, optimistic economic expectations continue to be reflected in results, with September imports rising to 7.4 per cent, exceeding expectations of 7.0 per cent. Despite healthy demand, however, export growth dropped sharply by 0.3 per cent from August's 7.2 per cent. Inflation for September rose, with the [...]