Shop price inflation hits a five-month high after food and cotton prices surge October 6, 2010 A jump in the cost of agricultural commodities drove British shop price inflation to a five-month high in September, but weak consumer demand should contain price pressures in the rest of 2010, a survey showed yesterday. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said shop prices in September were 1.9 per cent higher than a year ago, [...]
Tesco talks up economy as profit lifts October 5, 2010 TESCO said yesterday that the UK was unlikely to slide back into recession as it reported a 12.5 per cent increase in first half profit to £1.6bn. The world’s third largest retailer said it had been boosted by the strength of Asian markets, offsetting “modest” UK sales growth in the 26 weeks to 8 August. [...]
Service sector growth rises – but outlook poor October 5, 2010 Services activity growth rose unexpectedly in September from a 16-month low, but the outlook is poor with the weakest inflow of new business in over a year, a survey showed. The figures are unlikely to alter expectations that the Bank of England will keep its ultra-loose policy stance unchanged later this week and probably well [...]
Tesco in £1.8bn profit October 5, 2010 Tesco has made a £1.8bn profit in first half profits – a 14 per cent jump from the same period the year before. The world’s third biggest retailer said the rise in underlying pre-tax profits came despite “modest” UK sales growth in the 26 weeks to 28 August. Sales across the group jumped by more [...]
Tensions rise among MPC over more QE October 3, 2010 SPECULATION of a three-way split among the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has intensified in recent days, creating a debate among City economists about whether the Bank will loosen policy even further. External MPC member Adam Posen last week put the cat among the already nervous pigeons when he argued strongly in favour [...]
Germany’s consumers optimistic September 28, 2010 GERMAN consumers are at their most confident in three years with further optimism expected next month thanks to the continued economic recovery, falling unemployment figures and only moderate inflationary pressures, market research firm GfK said yesterday. This month, the consumer confidence indicator jumped 6.9 points to 53.5, the highest level for around three years. Expectations [...]
Pakistan inflation could rise to 13.5pc, says IMF September 22, 2010 Pakistan’s inflation rate could soon rise as high as 13.5 per cent, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The country’s inflation rose to a four-month high in August as devastating floods forced food prices higher. Core inflation rose to a higher-than expected 12.5 per cent, as the consumer price index increased 2.5 per cent [...]
China is sowing the seeds of a bull market in wheat and corn September 19, 2010 SHARP rises in food prices over the summer raised the ugly spectre of riots and civil unrest across the developing world and rampant inflation in Western countries. In August a Russian ban on wheat exports caused the price to spike, prompting some countries like Egypt to aim for self-sufficiency. The surge was short-lived but the [...]
Retail sales slip as spending cuts loom September 16, 2010 Retail sales volumes fell last month for the first time since January, in a sign that consumer demand may be slipping ahead of planned government spending cuts, official data showed. The Office for National Statistics said sales volumes fell 0.5 per cent last month, and revised July’s sales growth down to 0.8 per cent from [...]
Surge in food prices keeps inflation high September 14, 2010 HEADLINE annual inflation held steady at 3.1 per cent in August as sharp rises in the cost of air fares, clothing and food prices offset softer petrol prices, official figures revealed yesterday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that inflation rose 0.5 per cent between July and August but that the annual rate remained [...]