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 [...]
Spanish retail sales plummet at record pace May 29, 2012 THE SPANISH economy took another huge blow as retail sales plunged at record speed in April, official figures showed yesterday, as the recession continues to bite. Spanish retail sales were down 9.6 per cent in April compared with the same month of 2011 – the 22nd consecutive drop and the largest fall ever, according to [...]
CHINA MAY NOT SAVE THE WORLD AGAIN AS MACRO DATA CONTINUES TO FADE May 21, 2012 SUNDAY night, as currency markets were preparing for yet another desultory opening of the week’s trade, marked by yet more stress in the Eurozone and a seemingly perfunctory statement from the G8 which was long on platitudes and short on any concrete policy measures, risk currencies did something unexpected – they rallied. Despite the gloom [...]
Mitchells & Butlers profits fall May 18, 2012 Restaurant and pub group Mitchells & Butlers has reported a dip in profits as the rising cost of food and fuel undermined rising revenues. The owner of chains including Harvester, All Bar One and O’Neills, which earlier this year faced a shareholder revolt over management and ownership issues, gave scant details on its search for [...]
The MPC has put its incompetence on public display May 16, 2012 THE latest inflation report from the Bank of England (BoE) makes it clear that the credibility of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has been undermined further. The relatively sharp upward revision to CPI inflation forecasts out to the third quarter of 2013 is now rather more realistic, but that realism is tainted by the scepticism [...]