More shoppers are supporting living wages April 26, 2015 Public sentiment toward the living wage campaign – the campaign to get employers to pay workers a calculated wage higher than the minimum wage – is on the climb. A survey published today by financial services firm KPMG found that seven out of 10 UK adults would consciously shop in favour of a retail chain [...]
Switzerland is voted the happiest country in the world, while the UK falls into 22nd place April 24, 2015 Chocolate, mountains and cheese go a long way when it comes to making us feel jolly, so it should come as little surprise that Switzerland, home to an abundance of all three, is ranked the happiest country in the world by a new poll. The latest edition of the World Happiness Index didn't just put [...]
Budget deficit drops but pre-General Election growth could disappoint Tories April 23, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne received a budgetary boost yesterday as figures revealed the government had cut the budget deficit, but weak retail sales could hit a key economic growth figure in the run up to the General Election. Government borrowing – as measured by the public sector net borrowing requirement excluding public sector banks – totalled [...]
Mortgage lending lull ends as March registers upturn as General Election uncertainty fails to make slow demand April 23, 2015 Mortgage lending has picked up in March following a slow start to 2015, data released yesterday by the Council for Mortgage Lenders (CML) show. Gross mortgage lending reached £16.5bn, 21 per cent higher than in February and seven per cent higher than March last year. Lending remains below levels seen last summer and is far [...]
Brent Crude oil prices have just hit a 2015 high on Yemen worries and US data April 23, 2015 Oil prices have surged today on the back of worries over the conflict in Yemen and new data suggesting a fall in US supplies, sending prices to their highest of 2015. Benchmark Brent Crude hit $65.13 a barrel, rising $2.40 or three per cent, its first move above $64 this year, while West Texas Intermediate rose $1.63 [...]
Have UK government borrowing figures just given Osborne a pre-election boost? April 23, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne just received a pre-election boost after official figures released today showed he met his target for lowering the country's budget deficit in the 2014/15 financial year. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing, which fills the hole between spending and revenues, fell to £7.4bn in March, down 5.6 percent [...]
Happy St George’s Day: Why another bank holiday would be a terrible idea April 23, 2015 Happy St George's Day. Today people across England will celebrate the country's rich history – not to mention a plethora of weird and wonderful traditions that make up this vibrant culture. But lest we forget amid the merriment: we are in the middle of a General Election. No good time will be allowed to pass [...]
UK house prices: Is this the return of the first-time buyer? April 23, 2015 As UK house prices have risen, so has the story of the death of the first-time buyer. New data suggests this despair may have come too soon, however. A third of people feel better placed to move home than they did 12 months ago, despite wage growth lagging far behind house price inflation. The figures [...]
Greece debt deadline: Syriza risks split as progress on a deal crawls April 22, 2015 Greece has enough cash to meet its debt payments into June, Eurozone and Greek officials said yesterday, quashing fears of an imminent default, as a deal to inject more cash into the debt-addled state, at a meeting in Latvia tomorrow, looks unlikely. “The liquidity situation in Greece is already a little tight, but it should [...]
Your Move: London rental prices have soared 27pc under David Cameron April 22, 2015 Residential rents in London have far outstripped the rate of inflation under the current government, according to a new report out today. Rent in the capital increased by 27.4 per cent since the last General Election, according to the latest Buy-to-Let index from estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains. Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) increased [...]
