FTSE pegged back by miners July 9, 2012 The FTSE 100 edged down in early trading today as disappointing jobs data out of the US on Friday continued to cast a shadow over global markets. The 80,000 increase in payrolls in June was slightly below market expectations for an increase of about 90,000 and was not enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which [...]
Price pressures ease as food inflation slows July 3, 2012 THE SQUEEZE on consumer finances eased again in June, retail industry figures showed today, with shop price inflation falling to its lowest level in two and a half years. Inflation dropped to 1.1 per cent in the year to June from 1.4 per cent in May, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) – a [...]
Shoppers sold on discounters to save costs June 26, 2012 AN INCREASING number of Britons are planning to switch their food shops from their usual supermarket to discounters such as Aldi and Lidl this year in an attempt to cut costs, new research shows. A survey by retail experts IGD claimed today that a third of shoppers say they will be visiting the aisles of [...]
Slowing inflation opens door to money printing June 19, 2012 CONSUMER price inflation slowed again in May to its lowest rate since December 2009, according to official data out yesterday. Prices rose 2.8 per cent in the year to May, down from three per cent in the year to April, the Office for National Statistics revealed, leading economists to forecast a new round of quantitative [...]
Inflation relief helps push FTSE to its highest close in six weeks June 19, 2012 BRITAIN’S leading share index hit a six-week high yesterday on growing hopes for concerted economic stimulus measures from central banks, with a fall in UK inflation seen as increasing the chances of another Bank of England move. Consumer price inflation (CPI) eased unexpectedly in May to its lowest in two and a half years due [...]
Inflation fall raises prospect of more quantitative easing June 19, 2012 Inflation unexpectedly dropped in May as food and oil prices increased at a slower rate, according to figures released this morning by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ONS said the benchmark Consumer Price Inflation index (CPI) slowed to 2.8 per cent in May from three per cent in April, confounding economists who had expected [...]
Market report: FTSE benefits from caffeine hit as inflation falls June 19, 2012 Coffee and a promise to safeguard the Eurozone from further contagion pushed the FTSE up 0.4 per cent in early trading this morning. As a result London’s blue chip index broke through the 5,500 level – a technical level seen as key for spurring further buying. Last night European leaders at the G20 summit in [...]
US investors eye stimulus after weak jobs stats June 14, 2012 WEAK US jobless figures and lower inflation helped fuel an uptick on Wall Street yesterday, as traders took the data as a signal that a new round of quantitative easing is more likely. The Labor Department reported 386,000 new claims for jobless benefits last week, an unexpected rise of 6,000 on the previous week. And [...]
Shoppers stay at home while prices creep up June 5, 2012 SHOP prices increased again in May while footfall kept dropping, industry data showed today. Overall shop price inflation hit 0.4 per cent in May, up from 0.2 per cent in April, according to British Retail Consortium figures, taking the annual price rise up to 1.5 per cent. Food price inflation jumped to 0.6 per cent [...]
Falling inflation prompts hopes for more ECB interest rate cuts May 29, 2012 PRICE rises slowed again in April across the OECD, new figures showed yesterday, while government data also pointed to lower price pressures across Germany in May. Slowing energy price rises are the largest contributor, and economists believe this gives the European Central Bank (ECB) more room to loosen monetary policy further if it wants to [...]