Coronavirus: UK job vacancies plummet in March April 14, 2020 The number of UK permanent job vacancies has been cut in half by the coronavirus outbreak, according to new figures. Jobs data, released today by growth analytics platform cube19 for the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), showed that permanent vacancies in the last week of March were down by 50 per cent year-on-year. Contract vacancies [...]
UK GDP could fall by 30 per cent in second quarter April 13, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has reportedly told ministers to expect GDP to fall by as much as 30 per cent between April and June. The government’s draconian social distancing measures will be reviewed next week, with an extension considered a formality. The coronavirus lockdown has already begun to bite the UK economy, with activity in the [...]
US jobless claims hit 6.6m as coronavirus slams economy April 9, 2020 US jobless claims hit 6.6m last week as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which has wreaked economic chaos. The data from the Department of Labor showed 6.6m Americans claimed unemployment benefits for the first time last week. Last week the Department of Labor said 6.6m had claimed for unemployment benefits for the first time, [...]
Coronavirus: US Federal Reserve pledges another $2.3 trillion in loans April 9, 2020 The US Federal Reserve has promised an extra $2.3 trillion (£1.84 trillion) of loans to shore up the US economy as American unemployment surged for the third week in a row amid the coronavirus crisis. Fed chairman Jay Powell said the money would be made available for employers and households to help them through the [...]
Bank of England to finance government borrowing during coronavirus crisis April 9, 2020 The Bank of England has agreed to temporarily finance government borrowing during the coronavirus crisis, a measure last used extensively during the financial crisis. The UK government normally borrows money via the issues of bonds to the market. The measure announced today gives the government more flexibility in raising cash quickly. “As a temporary measure, [...]
UK economy grew just 0.1 per cent before coronavirus lockdown April 9, 2020 The UK economy grew 0.1 per cent in the three months to February before the coronavirus lockdown hit businesses. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data showed the increase was entirely down to the services sector. The tiny rise, which is measured on a three-month rolling basis, was a slight improvement on the three months [...]
Oil prices: Opec and Russia to discuss production cuts April 9, 2020 Opec and Russia will meet today to try to negotiate cuts to production cuts in a bid to address a drop in oil prices during the coronavirus crisis. Demand for fuel has plunged as much as 30 per cent after lockdowns and travel restrictions forced airlines to ground their plans and car usage slumped amid [...]
Coronavirus: German economy could shrink almost 10 per cent in second quarter April 8, 2020 The German economy is set to shrink at the fastest rate since at least 1970 in the second quarter as coronavirus containment measures cause a deep recession, some of the countries top think tanks have said. German GDP will fall by 9.8 per cent in the second quarter of the year, the biannual joint economic [...]
Robert Walters blames ‘savage’ coronavirus for UK profit hit April 8, 2020 Recruiter Robert Walters has bemoaned the “savage” economic impact of coronavirus as UK fee income slumped 29 per cent over the first quarter of 2020. The recruitment agency is seen as an economic bellwether and took a hit from Brexit uncertainty and the lead-up to December’s General Election in 2019. “It’s largely a hangover from [...]
Demand for UK bonds surges as government funds coronavirus spree April 7, 2020 Investor demand for UK government bonds was its highest for three years today as Britain sold £3.25bn worth of debt to help fund its unprecedented coronavirus support programmes. Buyers bid 3.05 times the £3.25bn available of the 0.125 per cent return three-year Gilt (UK government bond). It sold at an average yield of 0.204 per [...]