Sunday, 26 December 2010

Economics

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

ECONOMICS NEWS

UK growth in 2010 revised down as recovery loses traction

The UK’s economic growth over the past three quarters has been revised downwards in official figures, marking a disappointing end to a year of recovery.

MORE ECONOMICS NEWS

The UK inflation genie is out of the bottle

As 2010 draws to a close, it's becoming ever clearer that the UK's economic prognosis is not good.

26 Dec 2010

China raises interest rates on Christmas Day

China raised interest rates for a second time in three months on Christmas Day in an attempt to curb borrowing, rein in property prices and tame inflation.

25 Dec 2010

Oil pushes closer to $100 as cold snap bites

Oil prices rose closer to $100 a barrel as cold weather in Europe fuelled demand, depleted supplies and stoked inflationary worries.

24 Dec 2010

China fears 'chronic' eurozone debt crisis

China has warned that Europe may struggle to recover from its “chronic” debt crisis despite offering to help support the area through an escalation of the problems next year.

24 Dec 2010

Record spike in EMU default risk

The cost of default insurance on eurozone bonds has surged to an all-time high on reports that Greece is preparing the way for a sovereign debt restructuring after 2013, with tacit support from the EU authorities.

24 Dec 2010

Many black swans, but Cable is the turkey

In a year of big surprises, how long before the Business Secretary is stuffed, asks Jeff Randall.

23 Dec 2010

Mortgage lending slumps to lowest level since 1999

Fears for housing market as BBA reveals high street lending collapse.

23 Dec 2010

Services sector activity falls as austerity measures bite

The UK's services sector suffered its biggest fall in six months in October, according to the official measure of its activity, raising concerns for the recovery's momentum entering 2011.

23 Dec 2010

US consumer confidence prompts QE questions

US consumer confidence jumped to a six-month high in December, the latest in a slew of stronger data that has prompted a senior Federal Reserve official to question whether the latest round of printing money is needed.

23 Dec 2010

How the other retailers are doing: in numbers

The early arrival of snow and ice, unusual in most parts of the UK in December, has hurt retailers in the run up to Christmas, with people staying staying away from the shops during the crucial sales period.

23 Dec 2010

Good tidings or bad? Retailers will know today

John Lewis reported near-record sales in the last week, apparently untouched by the snow and cold, as rival retailers hope for a last-minute rush today to save their Christmas season.

23 Dec 2010

John Lewis Christmas sales defy bad weather

John Lewis reported near-record sales in the last week, apparently untouched by the snow and cold, as rival retailers hope for a last-minute rush today to save their Christmas season.

23 Dec 2010

Homeowners should prepare for rates of 5pc

Homeowners should start preparing for interest rate rises ahead of a return to “normalised” levels of around 5pc, warns Paul Fisher, the Bank of England's head of markets.

23 Dec 2010

Demand for ECB loans raises bank funding fears

Fears that financial institutions are still facing problems securing market funding have been raised after the European Central Bank saw stronger than expected demand for three-month loans.

23 Dec 2010

UK recovery weaker than thought, says ONS

The UK's recovery over the first nine months of 2010 was not as strong as first thought, the Office for National Statistics has revealed, signalling a downbeat end to the year.

23 Dec 2010

Paul Fisher: The man in charge of QE

With the UK making slow but sure progress on growth, MPC member Paul Fisher believes the real risks to an economic recovery come from abroad, and hasn't ruled out more QE.

22 Dec 2010

Paul Fisher interview - the full transcript

Paul Fisher, the Bank of England's executive director of markets and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, talks about the risks to recovery of other subjects in a wide-ranging interview. Here is a transcript of the interview

22 Dec 2010

Economy could contract in 2011, warns BoE's Fisher

Senior BoE official warns that economy may suffer another period of contraction in 2011, a year after recession ended.

22 Dec 2010

Paul Fisher - profile

Paul Fisher is one of the Bank of England's foremost experts on currencies and monetary policy.

22 Dec 2010

We have been warned - prepare for rising interest rates

You have been reading it in The Daily Telegraph for most of 2010 and now you've got it straight from the horse's mouth – it's time to prepare for rising interest rates.

22 Dec 2010

US economy shows stronger growth

The US economy is ending the year amid increasing signs it has rediscovered some momentum, which investors are betting will be strengthened by tax cuts next year.

22 Dec 2010

ONS cuts view of 2010 growth

The Office for National Statistics has certainly not given the Chancellor the Christmas treat he would have wanted.

22 Dec 2010

UK GDP growth: analysts view of the revised data

Britain's economy grew slower than expected in the third and second quarters of the year. This is how analysts and economists views the data.

22 Dec 2010

Bank of England MPC minutes: analysts' reaction

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee kept its three-way split in December's but minutes from the policy meeting show a growing number of policymakers are worried about rising medium-term inflation risks. Here are the views of economists.

22 Dec 2010

UK GDP growth revised down, fears for austerity Britain

Britain's economy grew slower than expected in the third and second quarters of the year, reinforcing worries about how the economy will cope when Coalition austerity measures kick in.

22 Dec 2010