CBI’s monthly distributive trades survey: Retail sales growth slows after a strong September October 29, 2015 Shoppers stayed away from the high street this month in what could be a "little bit of a breather" before the festive period gets into full swing. The CBI’s monthly distributive trades survey showed 38 per cent reported sales volumes rose on a year ago, while 20 per cent said they were down. The gap of [...]
Citizens Advice: Debt among young adults is soaring October 29, 2015 Young adults are having more money problems than ever before, according to a new report out today from Citizens Advice. The charity says that the number of people between the ages of 17 and 24 asking for advice on debt issues has risen by more than 20 per cent in the last year – and their average [...]
Nationwide house prices index: UK house prices rise again in October October 29, 2015 Ever feel like you're repeating yourself? House prices have risen again, new figures showed today, with prices rising 3.9 per cent in the year to October, up from 3.8 per cent last year. The Nationwide House Price Index showed the average price has now crept up to £196,807, up from £195,585 this time last year. That's [...]
Emerging markets and commodities: These are 2015’s seven worst-performing funds October 29, 2015 To say investors have been having a rocky 2015 is putting it mildly, with concerns over China’s worsening slowdown, a continuing commodities rout, and emerging markets getting pummeled. And all that before Black Monday came along and pulled the rug from under our feet as Chinese stocks fell to the floor on 24 August. But [...]
Unnecessary rules, inadequate resources and office politics top the reasons for poor employee productivity October 29, 2015 Fussy managers may be responsible for slowdowns in the workplace, as having unnecessary rules came top of a list of reasons for poor productivity in a study released today by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The CIPD’s latest Employee Outlook Survey, which was prepared in partnership with Halogen Software, also points the [...]
If you want a real scare this Halloween try predicting oil prices October 29, 2015 Forget scary movies this Halloween, consider instead this graph, which shows just how badly oil has performed, compared to market futures contracts, and just how impossible it is to accurately predict what prices will do. (The bloody red line tracks oil’s price, and the dotted lines represent futures contracts.) Proving just how volatile the market is, [...]
Iron ore price falls back below $50 mark for the first time in three months October 28, 2015 Iron ore fell below the $50 mark for the first time since July, as concerns over oversupply from China deepened, against a backdrop of falling global demand. Ore with 62 per cent content for immediate delivery to China slumped three per cent to $49.95 this morning, according to Metal Bulletin. Iron ore, a steelmaking raw material, [...]
Fixed rate mortgages growing in popularity as rates begin to rise – Mortgage Advice Bureau October 28, 2015 Fixed mortgage rates are growing in popularity, with 96 per cent of homebuyers opting for such products in September amid rising average rates, according to the latest national mortgage index from the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB). The average two year fixed rate rose from 2.68 per cent in August to 2.72 per cent in September, [...]
Consumer confidence hit its lowest level for 2015 in September – Lloyds Bank October 28, 2015 Consumer confidence dropped to the lowest level it has been in 2015 during September, the Lloyds Bank Spending Power Report revealed today. The proportion of people who feel comfortable about their household finances also dropped to the lowest it has been for the last five months, said the report. And the number of people [...]
Ford puts the brakes on Dow – New York Report October 27, 2015 Uncertainty over the US interest rate outlook and disappointing results from Ford and other companies yesterday weighed on Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 41.62 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 17,581.43, the S&P 500 lost 5.29 points, or 0.26 per cent, to 2,065.89 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 4.56 points, or 0.09 per [...]
