Saturday, 27 June 2009

Economics

The latest news, analysis and comment on the UK and global economy.

LATEST ECONOMICS NEWS

UK's debt will quadruple unless drastic steps are taken, says S&P

Britain's national debt will quadruple unless the Government takes drastic steps to address the pensions and ageing crisis, Standard & Poor's has warned.

27 Jun 2009

Treasury to grant new powers to Bank of England and FSA

The Treasury is to rule out overhauling the Bank of England's inflation-busting target and will instead give the Bank and Financial Services Authority new, separate powers to control British financiers' balance sheets.

27 Jun 2009

£7 billion tax 'black hole'

Britain's public finances face a new £7 billion "black hole" after thousands businesses claimed back VAT overpayments they made to the Treasury.

27 Jun 2009

Financial White Paper won't end tensions at the heart of British policymaking

The Bank of England and the Treasury are locked in power struggle  behind the scenes over policymaking and the Financial White Paper won't end the tensions.

The Bank of England and the Treasury are locked in power struggle behind the scenes, writes Edmund Conway.

26 Jun 2009

Irish economy worst hit, IMF claims

Ireland is suffering more than any other advanced economy from the global recession and Irish banks could be facing losses of about €35bn (£30bn), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.

25 Jun 2009

Irish economy is the sickest of them all, IMF study claims

Ireland is suffering the severest recession of any advanced economy, the International Monetary Fund said in its annual health check.

25 Jun 2009

Governor left in dark by Treasury on bank reforms

Bank governor Mervyn King left in dark by Treasury on bank reforms. Mervyn King told MPs on the Commons Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday that he had not been consulted on what will be in the White Paper which is published next week.

Mervyn King tells MPs he has not 'been consulted' on key paper on financial reform due next week.

25 Jun 2009

US Federal Reserve says recession is 'easing'

The pace of America's slowdown is beginning to temper, says Fed, but warns economic activity is still "weak".

24 Jun 2009

Conservatives to bolster Bank of England's power

The Conservatives plan to overhaul the tripartite system, giving the Bank of England overarching responsibility for UK financial regulation.

24 Jun 2009

Government debt: That’ll be £2.2 trillion, please

The amount of money owed by the Government is huge and rising, saysEamonn Butler, so why aren’t we pursuing simple, effective ways to reduce the burden?

24 Jun 2009

ECB favours underground press over helicopter drop

Drop money from helicopters to avoid depression. So said Ben Bernanke, president of the US Federal Reserve. Helicopter money-drops are highly visible. And when the descending cash is simply printed money, it can attract widespread criticism.

24 Jun 2009

Scale of UK deficit is 'truly extraordinary', says King

The Bank of England Governor warned of a 'long hard slog' to recovery as he took questions from MPs on the May Inflation Report.

24 Jun 2009

ECB lends record €442bn in first loan offer to boost credit flows

The European Central Bank lent commercial banks a record €442.2bn (£375bn) at 1pc on Wednesday via its first offer of 12-month funds in a bid to boost credit flows.

24 Jun 2009