Consumer sentiment hits eight-month high despite Brexit uncertainty June 1, 2019 UK consumers reported an improvement in their personal finances and more positive outlook for the year ahead in May, according to the monthly survey by market researchers GfK. The economy has continued to grow slightly thanks to solid demand from households, despite businesses pausing any major investments as they await the latest in the Brexit [...]
UK consumer confidence holds up in May despite Brexit impasse May 31, 2019 Consumers were feeling more upbeat about the British economy in May than they were in April despite Brexit, a new survey has shown, although confidence was well below the longer-term average. Read more: Warm-weather pub trips boost tepid consumer spending growth in April Meanwhile, more people felt positive about their personal financial situation than during [...]
Consumer confidence remains steady amid Brexit carry-on, survey shows April 30, 2019 Britons were more positive about the future economic situation in April than they were in March, but are putting off major purchases amid financial and political uncertainty, a new study has today shown. Read more: CBI: UK retailers enjoy rising sales for the first time in five months Meanwhile, fewer people in the UK were positive [...]
Better-than-expected January sales buck retail fears as discounts lure in shoppers February 15, 2019 Retail sales beat expectations in January, as shoppers seized on New-Year deals despite a wider slowdown in spending amid political uncertainty. According to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures which buck a recent trend of gloomy retail surveys, month-to-month sales volumes in the sector climbed one per cent during January, trumping consensus estimates of [...]
Bank of England: Economists split as monetary policymakers set out into the unknown | City A.M. July 30, 2018 The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates on Thursday, but the decision by the monetary policy committee (MPC) is likely to be one of the most controversial in recent memory. While most City observers now think rates will rise, economists are split as to whether hiking borrowing costs amid a weak [...]
Business and consumers’ confidence wanes as uncertainty dominates pre-Brexit outlook June 29, 2018 British consumers and businesses are battening down the hatches in the face of heightened uncertainty as Brexit approaches, new survey evidence suggests. A widely followed measure of British consumer confidence by data firm GfK, published today, fell by two points to a negative reading of nine, as people expressed growing concerns over the economy. A [...]
Is the high street really doomed? June 26, 2018 UK high street retailers have endured a torrid time over the last few years. A slew of store closures, job losses and administrations don’t make for pretty headlines, and illustrate just how difficult it is for those looking to invest in the retail sector. Discount retailer Poundworld followed electronics firm Maplin and toy retailer Toys [...]
Last Week in the City: Stiff competition in funerals? June 1, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (28 May to 1 June 2018). Shares in listed funeral director Dignity slumped after the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will examine the pre-paid funeral sector, a move that could see tougher regulation. [...]
Consumer confidence rose in March as promises of wage increases boosted optimism March 29, 2018 A snowy March failed to dampen consumer confidence in the UK, according to new research which shows optimism increased over the month. Consumers were generally more confident across the board in the key areas of personal finance, the general economic situation, the major purchase index and the savings index, the long-running research from GfK on [...]
Businesses feel confident in their future but consumer confidence slumps to the low recorded post-Brexit vote November 30, 2017 Confidence in business prospects has risen to its highest level since April 2017, while consumer confidence has dipped to the lows recorded in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to new figures out today. Lloyds Bank’s business barometer for November found that business confidence dipped two points to 24 per cent, and economic optimism [...]