US banking giant Citigroup has today reported a rise in its third quarter profit. Citigroup, which is the third largest bank in the US by assets, said third quarter profit came in at $3.77 billion, or $1.23 a share, compared with $2.17 billion, or 72 cents a share, in the same quarter a year earlier. [...]
Property website, Rightmove, has today reported a further rise in asking prices for the month of October. According to Rightmove, asking prices for residential property in England and Wales surged 2.8% in October on a monthly basis and were 1.2% higher compared with this time last year. This compares with a 0.7% monthly increase and [...]
Leading think tank, the Ernst & Young Item Club, has warned that growth within the UK economy is “grinding to a halt” because of the euro zone debt crisis. The Item Club also warned that the quantitative easing (QE) measures, announced recently by the Bank of England, are unlikely to boost the recovery. Its comments [...]
The Commerce Department today revealed US retail sales grew at their quickest pace in seven months in September. According to the Department, sales gained 1.1% on a monthly basis – boosted by clothing and car sales. The figures were better than the 0.7% rise expected by analysts. Furthermore, August retail sales were revised up to [...]
The Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its growth prospects for Asia amid the euro zone debt crisis and sluggish US growth. The IMF is now forecasting growth for Asia of 6.3% in 2011 and 6.7% in 2012. This is slightly lower than the 7% growth for both years it estimated in April. According [...]
Figures today revealed India’s wholesale price inflation eased to annual rate of 9.72% last month, down from August’s rate of 9.78%. However, the rate is still significantly above the central bank’s target of between 4% and 5% and represented the tenth consecutive month that inflation has been above the 9% mark. Stubbornly high inflation has [...]
Growth in the Germany economy, which is the euro zone’s largest, is expected to slow sharply next year as the ongoing debt crisis persists. In a closely monitored twice-yearly report, Germany’s leading economic institutes have slashed their growth forecasts for the economy from 2% next year to 0.8%, citing the debt problems in the euro [...]
Credit ratings agency Fitch has today downgraded two UK banks and placed one on a negative watch. Fitch downgraded Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) long-term credit rating to an A rating from AA-. It also placed Barclays on a negative watch, meaning a downgrade is possible in the future. In a statement, Fitch [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed the UK trade deficit narrowed in August as export values hit an all-time high and imports fell. The goods trade gap shrank to £7.77 billion in August from £8.15 billion the previous month, said the ONS. Total exports of goods reached £25.5 billion, led by fuels [...]
The EU statistics office Eurostat has today revealed euro zone industrial output rose by 1.2% in August. On an annual basis, meanwhile, industrial output grew by 5.3%. Both sets of figures beat economists’ forecasts. On a regional basis, Germany, which is the euro zone’s largest economy, saw a monthly fall of 1% but was 7.8% [...]
Japanese core private-sector machinery orders – a highly volatile series seen as an indicator of corporate spending – surged in August. According to the Cabinet Office, orders grew 11% in August on a monthly basis – the strongest pace in a year – and also beating forecasts. Orders have fallen over recent months due to [...]
According to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), Government welfare changes will mean there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK by 2013. Typical families will see their annual income fall by around £2,000 by the year 2013, warned the IFS, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty. The independent [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK unemployment rose sharply in the three months to August – rising to a 17-year high. The ONS said unemployment rose by 114,000 in the three month period to 2.57 million, taking the unemployment rate to 8.1% – higher than forecasts. In comparison, unemployment in the [...]
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has today said the fresh round of quantitative easing (QE) announced by the Bank of England last week may not be enough to prevent the economy from slipping back into recession and “more radical measures” are required. BCC Chief Economist David Kern said in an e-mailed statement in London [...]
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has today announced retail sales saw a slight improvement in September According to the BRC/KPMG retail sales monitor, like-for-like sales (which exclude the impact of sales at new stores) rose 0.3% on an annual basis. However, clothing sales suffered while demand for big-ticket items remained weak due to fragile consumer [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK factory output fell 0.3% in August on a monthly basis. The reading was worse than economists had expected and confirm weak prospects for the economy after the figures suggest a poor start to the third quarter. On an annual basis, meanwhile, factory output was 1.5% [...]
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has today reported that the UK housing market is suffering due to fears over the economy. However, the Institution said the number of enquiries from potential new buyers increased marginally in the month, with 3% more surveyors reporting a rise rather than a fall. First-time buyers, in particular, [...]
The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has today reported the number of loans for house purchase rose in August. According to the Council, there were 52,000 loans advanced for house purchase (worth £7.9 billion) in the month – up from 48,700 (£7.2 billion) in July. The Council described today’s figures as “welcome signs of life” [...]
Official data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) today revealed UK house prices rose by 0.6% in August compared with July. However, on an annual basis, house prices are 1.3% lower, taking the average UK house price to £208,476. The data from the DCLG is based on mortgage completions figures collected by [...]
British Prime Minister, David Cameron, is urging European leaders to take “decisive steps” to deal with the debt crisis. Mr Cameron said the crisis is putting the global economy in a “precarious” situation and told leaders of the 17-member nation they had a “collective responsibility” to avoid a disaster. Mr Cameron told the Financial Times [...]
CBI: Decline in retail sales slows in October
According to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) distributive trades survey, the fall in retail sales slowed in October, but only a modest rise in volumes is expected next month. Consumers continue to be cautious about the economic outlook and rein in their spending on the back of rising unemployment, higher inflation and slow [...]
Euro zone leaders agree to deal
Following a tense summit in Brussels last night, it has been announced that euro zone leaders have reached a deal which they say will help resolve the growing debt crisis in the 17-member nation. The deal will see the euro zone’s main bailout fund expanded to €1 trillion, while banks will accept a loss of [...]
Policymaker says another recession is likely
Bank of England policymaker Paul Fisher has today said Britain is likely to suffer another recession. His comments come just a few days after fellow Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member, Martin Weale, warned that a contraction in the fourth quarter is possible. Returning to Mr Fisher, he was asked how likely a double dip recession [...]
US economic growth rises in Q3
The world’s largest economy expanded at its fastest pace in a year in the three months to the end of September, official figures revealed today. According to the Commerce Department, the US economy grew at an annualised rate of 2.5% in the third quarter of this year. The figure was in line with forecasts but [...]
CBI: Confidence among manufacturers slump
According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), confidence among UK manufacturing firms has slumped as a result of the debt crisis in the euro zone, as well as a fall in expectations for future growth. The latest industrial trends survey by the employers’ group established that 30% more businesses were pessimistic about the future [...]
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