Retail sales jump to £7bn per week as UK recovers August 15, 2013 BRITISH retail sales grew at the fastest pace since 2011 in the year to July, official figures showed yesterday, giving further hope that consumer confidence is on the mend. Shoppers spent £7bn in an average week in July, pushing up sales volumes by three per cent on the year, driven by food sales and [...]
US inflation hits Fed target August 15, 2013 The annual rate of inflation in the US hit the Federal Reserve's target in July, rising to 2.0 per cent from 1.8 per cent the month before (release). This came as US jobless claims – a key indicator of future unemployment levels – dropped off unexpectedly, prompting fears of an imminent tapering of the Fed's [...]
Walmart revises down earnings forecast as US comparable sales miss August 15, 2013 Asda owner Walmart has reported same-store sales in the US fell by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of the year – missing analyst expectations of a one per cent rise (release). Walmart revised down its full-year earnings per share (EPS) expectation to a range of $5.10 to $5.30 from the previous range of [...]
What the analysts are saying about UK retail sales growth August 15, 2013 Source: Capital Economics Earlier this morning, the Office for National Statistics reported that retail sales jumped by 3.0 per cent year-on-year in July, boosted by sunny weather and food sales. For the most part, analysts seemed cautious about getting too excited over the data and prospects for a sustainable recovery. Martin Beck, UK economist [...]
US producer prices increase by less than expected in July August 14, 2013 Prices received for finished goods made by US producers increased by less than expected in July, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (release). Year-on-year, the producer price index (PPI) rose by 2.1 per cent, down from a 2.5 per cent rise the month and falling short of expectations of 2.4 per cent [...]
Train users set for fare inflation pain next year August 13, 2013 COMMUTERS will be saddled with another above-inflation increase in train fares in January, as rail companies get the go-ahead to hike prices. July’s retail prices index, which is used to determine fares for the next year, came in at 3.1 per cent. Rail companies are allowed to add one per cent above inflation, meaning a [...]
UK inflation slowdown tests Bank of England’s forward guidance August 13, 2013 The rate of inflation in the UK slowed in July, triggering speculation about how this could affect the central bank's future monetary policy. The Office for National Statistics' consumer price index decelerated to an annual rate of 2.8 per cent, down slightly from the 2.9 per cent the month before. The fall was driven primarily [...]
UK inflation slowed in July indicating support for Bank of England target August 13, 2013 Inflation in the UK slowed in July, indicating that the Bank of England may find support for a rate hike in the future. The UK consumer price index (CPI) decelerated to an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in July, slightly down from 2.9 per cent the month before and in line with expectations. The [...]
July sees retail prices plunging at fastest pace ever recorded July 30, 2013 SHOP prices shrank again in July, declining at the fastest pace since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) began measuring them six-and-a-half years ago. The BRC’s shop price index fell by 0.5 per cent over the year to July, driven by the plummeting costs of non-food items, which dropped by 2.1 per cent. Although food prices [...]
Economic perfect storm: The four trends that killed Western growth June 30, 2013 THE West lies at the confluence of four extremely dangerous long-term developments. Individually or collectively, they have already begun to reverse more than two centuries of economic expansion. The first is well-known: the creation of the worst financial bubble in history – “the great credit super-cycle”. Since the 1980s, a relentless shift to immediate consumption [...]