UK consumer morale drops in September October 20, 2011 CONSUMER morale sunk again last month, in a worrying sign for the domestic UK economy. The widely regarded Nationwide consumer confidence index sunk for the fourth straight month, it revealed this morning. The index fell to 45 points in September, from 48 points in August. At the same time last year, September 2010, the index [...]
Traders keeping a close eye on FTSE after drop to 5,100 November 27, 2011 GLOBAL equities continued to tumble last week with many indices crashing through technical support areas. At the start of the week, the FTSE gapped below its 50-day moving average around 5,350 and went on to trade below 5,100 briefly on Friday. This level is not only psychologically significant, but also important in technical terms. It [...]
Consumer confidence hits four-month low September 21, 2011 Consumer confidence slipped to a four-month low in August as the economy remained in the doldrums, the monthly Nationwide survey showed – though the building society said it was a relief that the drop was not bigger. Many big English cities were hit by their worst rioting in decades last month, and global economic uncertainty [...]
Merkel helps send FTSE into retreat October 25, 2011 MINERS and banks retreated as Britain’s FTSE 100 fell yesterday after comments from the German chancellor led to concerns over how far European leaders would go to solve the region’s debt crisis. Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany opposes a phrase in a draft conclusion for today’s EU summit that calls for the European Central Bank [...]
How public opinion shapes economic debate September 13, 2011 LAST week we held a two-day forum to launch YouGov-Cambridge, a new think-tank that unites world-class thinkers with research data to understand the role that public opinion plays in decision-making within politics and business. Themed “Consumer networks and the diffusion of power” with guests such as Jimmy Wales, Steve Hilton, Nassim Taleb and Imran Khan, [...]
How public opinion shapes economic debate September 13, 2011 LAST week we held a two-day forum to launch YouGov-Cambridge, a new think-tank that unites world-class thinkers with research data to understand the role that public opinion plays in decision-making within politics and business. Themed “Consumer networks and the diffusion of power” with guests such as Jimmy Wales, Steve Hilton, Nassim Taleb and Imran Khan, [...]
Cut in bad debt spurs profit at National Australia Bank October 26, 2011 THE PARENT company of Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks has increased second-half cash profit by 17 per cent as bad-debt charges fell and mortgages grew at more than three times the rate of the industry. National Australia Bank said this morning that profit was a record A$2.79bn (£1.82bn), despite doubts over the immediate health of the [...]
We need to teach financial literacy in all UK schools November 1, 2011 IT IS significant the e-petition calling for compulsory financial education in schools has this week become one of the first petitions to reach the threshold of 100,000 signatures and that the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Financial Education for Young People is the largest in parliament, with 224 cross-party MPs. We are a financially [...]
Gloomy outlook getting worse as confidence falls September 25, 2011 CONFIDENCE data from around Europe will be released over the course of this week, with analysts expecting the worst. Figures to be announced in the UK include the Confederation for British Industry’s (CBI) distributive trades survey, out tomorrow, which measures short-term trends in UK retail and distribution. Weak or falling sales are expected by economists. [...]
Deeper gloom on high street August 30, 2011 CONSUMER confidence has sunk further on both sides on the pond, according to fresh data. A widely-regarded measure of sentiment on the UK high street was confirmed this morning at 13 points below its level at the same time last year. The GfK NOP consumer confidence index — which slipped to a score of -31 [...]