Happy Easter for West End April 5, 2010 POOR weather and early spring sales offers from retailers drove at least 2m shoppers to the West End over the Bank holiday weekend. Some retailers are understood to have recorded double-digit sales growth on the Friday, although trading did slow down over Saturday and Easter Monday, according to the New West End Company – which [...]
Osborne thinks long-term March 15, 2010 SHADOW Chancellor George Osborne has joined forces with US economist Jeffrey Sachs to warn about the dangers of not acting fast on the deficit. The two say delaying action on reducing the deficit will “darken consumer confidence. In a paper out today, Osborne and Sachs say recovery is a medium to long-term project and investment [...]
High street shows continuing signs of growth with positive outlook for Easter March 23, 2010 THE UK high street has been unable to sustain its strong February sales growth this month, but the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) monthly distributive trades survey showed UK retailers still experienced an increase in sales volumes. Encouragingly, the CBI also said that retailers are expecting a similar pace of growth over the Easter period. [...]
Eurozone retail sales rise September 3, 2010 Eurozone retail sales increased for a third successive month in July, offering more signs that consumers are opening their wallets and boosting the chances of the economic recovery continuing. Sales across the 16-nation currency bloc edged up 0.1 per cent from June and rose by a faster-than-expected 1.1 per cent year-on-year, the European Union statistical [...]
Don’t let a long sugar trade leave you with sweet nothing October 24, 2010 SUGAR prices have shot through the roof in the last week, with sugar number 11 – the main benchmark for raw sugar prices – rallying comfortably over 28 cents per pound, double its price in late 2008. Commodity traders might be licking their chops at the thought of a sharp correction – or even a [...]
Don’t let a long sugar trade leave you with sweet nothing October 24, 2010 SUGAR prices have shot through the roof in the last week, with sugar number 11 – the main benchmark for raw sugar prices – rallying comfortably over 28 cents per pound, double its price in late 2008. Commodity traders might be licking their chops at the thought of a sharp correction – or even a [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD September 26, 2010 US stock investors will head into this week wondering if September will end as strongly as it began for the market, with manufacturing and personal income data among the top indicators on tap. The data will be watched for further clues on whether the economic recovery is still on track and to see if the [...]
IMF is right – but savings crisis looms September 27, 2010 GEORGE OSBORNE was a happy man yesterday, courtesy of the usually dour International Monetary Fund (IMF), which released an unusually effusive and gushing endorsement of the coalition’s macroeconomic policies. The IMF is upbeat for 2011, predicting growth of two per cent. It makes it clear that slashing the deficit and controlling public spending is the [...]
UK consumers at most confident in nine months October 29, 2009 BRITISH consumers are now at their most confident since January 2008, showing a steady rise in optimism, according to the latest GfK/NOP consumer confidence survey. The index rose three points to -13 and confidence in the general economy over the past 12 months jumped 10 points, but is still low, at -53. However, consumers’ confidence [...]
UK consumers at most confident in nine months October 29, 2009 BRITISH consumers are now at their most confident since January 2008, showing a steady rise in optimism, according to the latest GfK/NOP consumer confidence survey. The index rose three points to -13 and confidence in the general economy over the past 12 months jumped 10 points, but is still low, at -53. However, consumers’ confidence [...]