UK Data Response GfK/NOP Consumer Confidence (May 13) May’s strong rise in the level of consumer confidence will raise hopes that the near-term outlook for consumer spending has brightened. But May’s reading was boosted by some temporary factors, and... 31st May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Nationwide House Prices (May. 13) The rise in house prices recorded by the Nationwide in May could further boost the growing sense of optimism regarding the housing market. But the fundamentals are still weak, and we think much of... 30th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response CBI Distributive Trades Survey (May) The fall in May’s CBI Distributive Trades Survey provides another reason to think that the retail sector has lost momentum in the second quarter. Falling employment and negative pay growth means... 29th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response GDP: Second Estimate & Expenditure Breakdown (Q1 13) The second estimate of Q1 GDP confirmed that the economy enjoyed some modest growth at the beginning of 2013. But it was an increase in inventories that drove expansion. Meanwhile, aspirations for... 23rd May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Retail Sales & Pub. Fin. (Apr.), MPC Minutes (May) Today’s data contained some mixed signals on the strength of the economic recovery, with retail sales slumping but with the public finances making a reasonable start to the year. 22nd May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Consumer Prices & Producer Prices (Apr.) April’s drop in inflation has provided some welcome, albeit temporary, relief to households’ budgets. While CPI inflation still looks set to climb in the coming months, we continue to expect it to... 21st May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Bank of England Inflation Report (May) The latest Inflation Report indicated that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has become a bit more optimistic on the growth outlook. This, alongside its continued expectation of a further rise in... 15th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Labour Market Data (Mar./Apr.) Following recent positive news on the economy, the latest UK labour market data provided something of a reality check. Admittedly, a fall in headline employment and a rise in unemployment disguised... 15th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Trade (Mar.) Following last week’s decent business survey results, March’s trade data provided more good news, with net trade likely to have added modestly to GDP growth in the first quarter. But while key export... 10th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Industrial Production (Mar.) March’s industrial production figures suggest that the economic recovery gained some momentum towards the end of the first quarter. But there are various reasons to think that this impetus will not be... 9th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response BRC Retail Sales Monitor (Apr.) This year’s earlier Easter was primarily to blame for April’s dip in the BRC measure of retail sales. Nonetheless, underlying sales growth still looks fairly limp 8th May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response CIPS/Markit Report on Services (Apr.) An improvement in April’s CIPS/Markit report on services joined the upticks already seen in the manufacturing and construction surveys in suggesting Q2 has got off to a good start. But even with these... 3rd May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response CIPS/Markit Report on Manufacturing (Apr. 13) April’s CIPS manufacturing survey offers a glimmer of hope that the sector’s recession might be coming to an end. But stagnation, rather than outright expansion, may be the best that manufacturers can... 1st May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Apr. 13) The very slight drop in house prices recorded in April points to a housing market holding its ground. While prices in London are likely to see some further gains in coming months, prices for the UK as... 1st May 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Mortgage Lending (Mar. 13) After two consecutive months of declines, mortgage approvals for house purchase staged a partial come back in March. A raft of Government interventions is likely to lead to further marginal increases... 30th April 2013 · 1 min read
UK Data Response GfK/NOP Consumer Confidence (Apr.) April’s slight fall in the level of consumer confidence provides further evidence that the consumer sector won’t see a meaningful recovery this year. With employment falling and real pay contracting... 30th April 2013 · 1 min read
