Car ownership numbers fall for second consecutive year in more than a century May 31, 2022 Car ownership levels have fallen for the second consecutive year in more than a century. According to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), in 2021 levels fell by 0.2 per cent to 35 million units despite the number of UK vehicles growing by 0.4 per cent to 40.5 million. Covid-related market [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates for 12th time in a row and forecast falling inflation May 9, 2023 The Bank of England is poised to intensify the strain on households and businesses’ finances by hiking interest rates for the 12th time in a row this Thursday in a bid to bring down inflation, City analysts are betting. Threadneedle Street’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the group tasked with setting official borrowing costs in [...]
Amazon sellers get five star status with bogus reviews of toys, investigation finds April 7, 2022 Amazon sellers have been manipulating its review system to boost their review status to five stars, a deep-dive by a consumer choice group has claimed. Businesses are making the most of a loophole with the online retail giant, using items such as cuddly toys and umbrellas to help inflate rating sand sell products. An investigation [...]
Wall Street edges higher following data that shows the labour market is cooling September 2, 2023 A choppy day of trading on Wall Street ended on Friday with slight gains for stocks, as the market notched its second straight winning week. The market got a boost early on from a closely watched government report that showed US job growth increased at a healthy but more moderate pace last month. The report [...]
Recessionary threads begin to weave through present economic landscape March 29, 2022 This week, Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey warned this year’s energy shock will be bigger than any seen during the 1970s. The ripple effects on consumers from soaring energy bills has sparked a wave of economists to slash this year’s growth forecasts on concerns spending will be knocked by a steep fall in living [...]
UK house prices drop due to ‘affordability pressures’ and soaring mortgage costs May 1, 2024 Nationwide's latest House Price Index showed that while the cost of property fell month-on-month, the annual rate of change slowed too.
Media and tech players in different states as we head into recession September 21, 2022 Summer is over and the nights are becoming longer. In addition, the increasing gloom on the weather front is matched by a similar gloom when it comes to the consumer. The rise of double-digit inflation, with skyrocketing energy bills, has dominated headlines and driven UK consumer confidence, according to GfK, down to historic low levels. [...]
Millions of Brits go bargain hunting as they are forced to tighten their belts in cost of living crisis February 23, 2022 As energy prices soar and inflation hits a 30 year high, millions of British households have embarked on a hunt for bargains and discounts. In fact, 41 per cent of shoppers stated that they would actively look for bargains as they prepare to tighten their belts; with a further 35 per cent of shoppers saying [...]
Brits cling onto pandemic savings amid economic uncertainty May 4, 2022 Brits are clinging on to their pandemic saving war chests in a sign that the UK could be headed toward a recession this year, reveals official figures published today. Rampant inflation is failing to push households into drawing down money set aside during lockdowns, suggests data from the Bank of England. Savings – including those [...]
Bank of England hikes interest rates for eleventh time in a row to post financial crisis high of 4.25 per cent March 23, 2023 The Bank of England today hiked interest rates for the eleventh time in a row to a post-financial crisis of 4.25 per cent as it continues to lead the fight against the worst UK inflation crisis in four decades. Governor Andrew Bailey and his team of rate setters bumped borrowing costs 25 basis points higher, [...]