UK Economic Outlook Near-term momentum to fade as the year progresses (Q1 10) Consumer spending could continue to strengthen in the next few months. But this should be short-lived. We still anticipate several years of consumer weakness. 27th January 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Leader or laggard? (Q1 2010) A mood of doom and gloom has descended regarding the UK economy. The fact that the UK has been much slower to exit recession than other economies has raised concerns that its previous economic success... 4th January 2010 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Sluggish recovery ahead (Q4 09) The recovery in consumer spending still looks likely to be sluggish. Even if banks loosen credit conditions further, households are likely to remain focused on paying off - rather than taking on -... 26th October 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook The great squeeze (Q4 2009) After a decade or more in which rapid increases in public spending have lent powerful support to the UK economy, the great squeeze is about to begin. 9th October 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Retail to suffer renewed period of weakness (Q3 09) With the economy emerging tentatively from recession, the near-term outlook for consumer spending has improved since the previous Analyst. As a result, we have nudged up our forecasts for overall... 16th July 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook U, V or W? (Q3 2009) There is little doubt that the near-term outlook for the economy has improved. But there remains a huge amount of uncertainty about just what shape the recovery will take. 7th July 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Labour market to restrain recovery in real household income (Q2 09) We continue to expect real consumer spending to fall by about 3.5% this year and still doubt that it will rise again until 2012 at the earliest. 27th April 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook The next decade (Q2 2009) A recovery could be months away or it could be years away. Sooner or later, though, recover the UK economy will. And when it does, the landscape will have changed beyond recognition. 1st April 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Passing on higher import costs may prove impossible (Q1 09) The recession has gathered pace rapidly and we now expect consumer spending to drop by about 3.5% in real terms this year. Meanwhile, sterling’s sharp depreciation is an additional headache for... 4th February 2009 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Living with deflation (Q1 2009) Deflation is back! For the first time in very nearly half a century, the UK is likely to experience negative consumer price inflation in 2009. 24th December 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Staring into the abyss - Just how deep will the downturn be? (Q4 2008) Recently announced measures by the UK Government and other world policymakers have avoided the unthinkable scenario of a full-scale meltdown in the UK and global banking and financial systems. 15th October 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Consumer sector heads for recession (Q3 08) The credit squeeze, the prospect of further house price falls and the deteriorating inflation outlook mean that we expect real consumer spending next year to stagnate at best. 21st July 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Black or Golden? The economic effects of the fall in the pound (Q3 2008) The fall in the UK exchange rate over the last six months has been broadly similar in scale to that seen after the pound fell out of the ERM in 1992. But while this should eventually lead to a period... 2nd July 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Several years of sluggish spending ahead (Q2 08) Consumer spending remains on course for its sharpest slowdown since the early 1990s. We expect spending to rise by 1.5% in real terms this year and just 1.0% in 2009 – with the main risks to these... 2nd May 2008 · 1 min read
UK Economic Outlook Mind the gap (Q2 2008) The UK’s current account deficit has reached unsustainable levels. And any correction is likely to be very painful for the wider economy, incorporating a prolonged period of very weak domestic growth... 2nd April 2008 · 1 min read