How to guard against inflation when investing in bonds November 4, 2014 Periods volatility in equity markets typically see investors flee to the apparent safety of fixed income – especially the bonds of major Western governments, the yields on which are often described as the “risk-free” rate. But as Christopher Maule of the UK Bond Network argues, it’s a strange definition of “risk-free” that sees investors exposed [...]
Pay rises next year will finally beat inflation October 23, 2014 Wages look set to outpace inflation throughout 2015, according to new research published today. Private sector employers are predicting pay awards of two per cent over the coming year. The research comes from XpertHR, a human resources company, which has surveyed 282 organisations with regard to pay and reward in the year to 31 August [...]
Weak inflation knocks sterling to 11-month low October 14, 2014 THE POUND fell sharply yesterday as UK inflation for September came in below expectations, reducing the chance of a 2014 interest rate hike. Prices rose at their slowest pace for five years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), prompting sterling to sink last night to an 11-month low of $1.5905 to the pound. [...]
Inflation falls again: Consumer Price Index falls to a five-year low of 1.2pc in September October 14, 2014 The consumer price index (CPI) of UK inflation fell even further than expected, down to 1.2 per cent in September from 1.5 per cent the previous month, hitting a five-year low. CPI was expected to slow slightly to 1.4 per cent according to analyst forecasts. But the slump is even further below the Bank of [...]
Consumers win as UK inflation continues to fall – London Report October 12, 2014 Consumers are winning out as low petrol prices and the continuing supermarket price war drive inflation down. Data out tomorrow is expected to show consumer price inflation for September fell to a five-year low of 1.4 per cent – well below the Bank of England’s target rate of two per cent. However, weak earnings growth [...]
Bank official Paul Fisher: Inflation nutters should not be allowed on MPC October 1, 2014 The Bank of England should not focus exclusively on hitting its inflation target, policymaker Paul Fisher said yesterday, arguing only “inflation nutters” would risk financial stability or economic growth for the sake of a minor adjustment in prices. Fisher said the Bank of England had a series of vital goals and must be able to balance [...]
Low inflation isn’t abnormal: It’s a feature of a competitive market economy September 23, 2014 FEARS of deflation are rising across Europe, as inflation keeps edging down to lower and lower rates. Eurostat estimates the rate of inflation in the Eurozone in the year to August to be only 0.4 per cent, compared to 1.3 per cent in the year to August 2013. Negative rates were observed in eight EU [...]
Wages increase by 0.6 per cent, 0.9 per cent behind inflation September 17, 2014 The gap between wages and consumer price inflation is still stubbornly wide, official figures published this morning showed. Earnings not including bonuses were up 0.7 per cent over the 12 months to the end of July, but inflation is almost a percentage point higher at 1.5 (1.6 during July). Unemployment data was also out this [...]
As CPI inflation falls to 1.5 per cent, should the Bank hold off rate hikes until next summer? September 16, 2014 Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit, says Yes. Quite possibly. The case for rates to stay low for longer is being aided by several factors. Global oil and commodity prices are low, and likely to stay historically weak due to subdued global demand (especially in key emerging markets such as China) and, in the case [...]
Inflation falls again, to 1.5 per cent September 16, 2014 The Consumer Prices Index fell to 1.5 per cent in the year to August, down from 1.6 per cent the month before, as low wages and pressures on recovery in European economies continued to take their toll. The Office for National Statistics said the measure was pushed down by a drop in the price of [...]