Deep discounts mitigate sharp retail sales fall July 19, 2012 RETAILERS were hit by bad weather in June, as consumers bought less food to barbecue and spent less than expected on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday. The ONS’s retail sales index inched up 0.1 per cent by volume in June, compared to May, but [...]
After inflation fell to 2.4 per cent in June, is the risk of deflation now of greater concern? July 17, 2012 YES Victoria Redwood Inflation is heading rapidly back towards its target and, by the end of the year, it should be close to just 1 per cent. Indeed, the UK has more to fear from the risk of deflation than a renewed spike in inflation. The temporary factors that have supported inflation have waned and [...]
Inflation falls in June July 17, 2012 Inflation fell to its lowest in more than two and a half years in June helped by early summer sales of clothes and shoes, official data showed on Tuesday, suggesting consumers will be able to spend more and give a rare helping hand to the economy. The Office for National Statistics said annual consumer price [...]
Eurozone recovery hopes raised by healthy export growth spurt July 16, 2012 EUROZONE exports rose in May, according to official data out yesterday, which could substantially reduce the depth of the recession. Meanwhile Eurostat figures also showed inflation slowly falling in line with economists’ expectations, continuing the downward trend which led the European Central Bank to cut rates further at the start of this month. Goods exports [...]
Eurozone inflation eases July 16, 2012 A sharp fall in energy prices helped cool consumer prices in the eurozone in June and gave the European Central Bank space to cut interest rates this month to try to revive the economy, but stagnant imports highlighted the depth of the downturn. Consumer inflation in the 17-nation euro zone was 2.4 per cent in [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 11, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES CBI chief attacks lack of growth The head of Britain’s biggest employers’ group has strongly criticised the government for the “really disappointing” implementation of its growth plan, asking: “Where are the diggers on the ground?” John Cridland, director-general of the CBI, said members of the government appeared to be “dazzled in the headlights”, [...]
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 [...]