US inflation on the rise May 13, 2011 US inflation hit the highest level in two and a half years as food and energy prices moved higher, but there was little sign of a broader pick-up in inflation that would trouble the Federal Reserve. The Labor Department said on Friday its Consumer Price Index increased 0.4 percent in April from March after rising [...]
Oil price fall fuels hopes of cheaper petrol May 11, 2011 CRUDE oil prices dropped below $100 a barrel and US petrol futures slumped yesterday, fuelling hopes that UK forecourt prices may fall substantially soon. Crude futures plunged more than five per cent in the week’s second major oil price fall, with light sweet crude for June hitting a low of $97.50 (£59.55). Brent crude traded [...]
HSBC drags FTSE back as investors eye inflation forecasts May 11, 2011 Banking giant HSBC sapped some of the confidence from the blue chip index today as it announced that it was aiming to slash costs by £2.1bn. The news followed a bruising start to the week for banks who have already earmarked billions for potential payouts over dubious insurance protection sales. HSBC fell 1.3 per cent [...]
Euro versus dollar: a scrappy fight May 10, 2011 OVER the last fortnight, the euro-dollar pairing has turned into a bit of an ugly dog contest, with both sides competing to see who carries the fewest fleas. However, the euro came out second best in this challenge last week, hit with attacks from all sides. The tipping point for the pairing came when the [...]
Centrica warns surprise tax hike means higher bills for customers May 9, 2011 ENERGY giant Centrica yesterday warned customers to brace themselves for bill rises as the Treasury’s tax hike on oil and gas firms starts to eat into the firm’s earnings. The firm said the surprise tax raid would cost the company £300m this year, and it expects to report “more modest” growth in the future as [...]
Commodity crash sends US tumbling May 5, 2011 US stocks fell for a fourth day yesterday as a massive sell-off in commodities spilled into other markets, forcing investors out of riskier assets and rattling the equities market before today’s payrolls data. Oil suffered the biggest one-day price drop ever for the Brent futures contract, which settled down 8.6 per cent at $110.80 per [...]
A green tax that risks economic sustainability May 2, 2011 FROM 2013, a tax on carbon producers will be unilaterally implemented by the UK upon carbon intensive industries. Costs to UK based businesses are estimated to be in the region of £9.3bn, undermining their competitiveness, damaging energy producers and users, and ultimately hitting the wallet of consumers. Presently, about half of Europe’s emissions are covered [...]
US GDP growth slows but inflation soars April 28, 2011 US economic growth slowed more than expected in the first quarter as higher food and petrol prices hit consumer spending and sent a key inflation measure rising at its fastest pace in two-and-a-half years. Growth in US GDP braked to a 1.8 per cent annual rate after a 3.1 per cent fourth quarter pace, the [...]
US jobless claims and producer prices rise April 14, 2011 Prices paid by US factories picked up pace in March as the disruption caused by Japan’s earthquake began to be felt in the auto industry and fuel prices rose strongly. Another report has also showed a surprise jump in US jobless claims that raised some questions among investors about the health of the labour market [...]
Slow growth for American retail sector April 13, 2011 RETAIL sales in the US rose for the ninth straight month in March but at a weaker rate than expected, it was revealed yesterday. On a mixed day of news for the US economy, sales were announced at 0.4 per cent up on February, largely driven by higher petrol prices. Receipts at petrol stations, which [...]