Brexit, six months on: City leader demands government allays uncertainty in the Square Mile December 23, 2016 Doesn't time fly? Just six months ago half the nation was celebrating the Britain's decision to unshackle itself from the EU, while the other half had that knot in the pit-in-the-stomach feeling. The good news so far is the sky hasn't fallen in. And this was after 2016 continued to shock and surprise us from a [...]
Consumers wary about creeping inflation in 2017 hitting household budgets December 23, 2016 Consumer confidence has flopped to its lowest levels since the Brexit vote with inflationary pressures starting to bite, according to leading group of economists. Concern about what the next 12 months will bring for household finances drove confidence to down by one point in November – it is at its lowest levels since July, a poll by YouGov and the [...]
US GDP grows at fastest pace in two years in the third quarter, although durable goods orders disappoint December 22, 2016 The US economy grew faster than previously thought in the third quarter of 2016, to post the fastest rate of quarterly growth in two years. The annualised GDP growth rate was 3.5 per cent in the third quarter, according to revised data from the US Department of Commerce. The upgrade in the measure was driven [...]
Investor $2m visa applications rise post-Brexit vote as investors take advantage of weaker sterling and avoid immigration limits December 22, 2016 Investor visa applications rose sharply after the Brexit vote, as wealthy foreigners scrambled to take advantage of special immigration rules and a weaker pound. Applications rose by 61 per cent year on year in the three months after the referendum in anticipation of stricter rules on limiting immigration. This also represented a rise compared to [...]
All I want for Christmas is… an ultra-hard Brexit (and nine other pro-growth policy wishes) December 22, 2016 Here is my Christmas wish list for Santa. Ten policy measures which, if implemented, would make future growth prospects truly joyous, with Christmas every day of the week. But these are also economic policy measures Santa won’t be too familiar with, as he boards his sleigh somewhere north of the Nordic economies. I don’t pretend [...]
Editor’s 2016 review: It’s been a year of momentous political change, but there’s every reason to look to the future December 22, 2016 Attempting to reflect such an extraordinary year with just a handful of our own front pages was always going to be difficult, but I thought we’d give it a go. The front page of Morning Wire is (to borrow a phrase from our marketing department) the front door of our brand. The choice of splash, [...]
Does ultra-loose monetary policy work? The Treasury Committee wants to find out December 22, 2016 The Bank of England’s (BoE) post-financial crisis loose monetary policy may have had “unintended consequences”, according to the head of the Treasury Select Committee (TSC). TSC chair and Conservative MP Andrew Tyrie is set to launch a new inquiry into post-2008 central bank policy, which will investigate how effective low interest rates and accommodative instruments such [...]
Resilient British consumers grow more confident about personal finances, but see storm clouds ahead for the UK economy December 22, 2016 British consumers have ended the year on a resilient note, with confidence rising despite gloomy forecasts for the economy, according to a long-running survey. Consumer confidence increased in December by one point, driven higher by a positive attitude towards making major purchases such as furniture or white goods, says the index compiled by market research [...]
Eurozone consumer confidence reaches 20-month high December 21, 2016 Europe’s consumers appear to be slowly moving out of a long-term slump as confidence reached a 20-month high. Confidence in the Eurozone increased by 1.1 points to reach minus 5.1 for December, according to flash estimates from the European Commission. A measure below zero indicates net negative sentiment, but the score is well above the [...]
Long-term inflation expectations reach a two-year high of three per cent as Brits start to feel prices rise December 21, 2016 Inflation expectations have jumped to a two-year high as Brits predict it will reach three per cent in five to 10 years, according to a widely followed survey. Long-term expectations this month are up from 2.8 per cent in November, according to the poll by YouGov for Citi. This is the fifth month of increases [...]