UK Economics Chart Pack A robust finish to Q1 The UK economy appears to have avoided a slide back into recession, if the activity surveys for the first quarter are to be believed. Indeed, the economic recovery appears to have gathered a bit of... 4th April 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Consumer recovery underway, but looking fragile The consumer recovery appears to have picked up pace around the turn of the year, although the softening in the latest measures of high street spending suggest that the recovery is still on fragile... 22nd March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Rise in oil prices presents new threat to recovery The rise in energy prices adds to the reasons to be cautious about assuming that the recent pick-up in the economic recovery will continue. 1st March 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Falling inflation offers some relief There have been some signs of a pick-up in consumer spending. But some measures are more upbeat than others. And more generally, consumers are still facing a set of tough conditions. 17th February 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Inflation squeeze starts to ease December’s chunky fall in CPI inflation from 4.8% to 4.2% is likely to be followed by further falls that take inflation to 1% or below by the end of the year. 1st February 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack A stronger end to the year Consumers finally spent more on the high street before Christmas, perhaps tempted by the bigger price discounts that retailers were offering. 20th January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economic gloom lifts a bit The economic recovery appears to have regained some momentum at the very end of last year, with the business surveys improving in December. But the outlook for this year still looks bleak. 5th January 2012 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack A soft start to the festive period The high street had been weathering the economic slowdown well, but the last few weeks have seen retail spending start to soften. 15th December 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Renewed credit crunch looms We have revised down our forecasts for GDP growth and now expect a contraction in 2012 as a whole of 0.5% (our previous forecast was zero growth) and growth of just 0.5% in 2013 (down from 1.5%). The... 2nd December 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Labour market downturn worsens The consumer sector remains in a poor state. We continue to expect real household spending to fall by about 3% over the next two years. 17th November 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack On course to contract in Q4 An across-the-board deterioration in the economic data over the last month has left the UK economy on course to contract in the fourth quarter. While the first estimate of GDP revealed that output... 3rd November 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Squeeze on real pay intensifies September’s rise in retail sales volumes was a rare bright spot in an otherwise terrible set of consumer data released over the last month. Consumer confidence has remained at a very low level... 21st October 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economy stagnating at best The last month has brought further confirmation that the recovery has ground to a complete halt. Quarterly GDP growth was revised down from 0.2% to 0.1% in Q2. Even that growth was dependent on rises... 6th October 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Falling employment intensifies consumers’ misery The near-term outlook for consumer spending looks exceptionally weak. Surveys suggest that job cuts in the private sector will gather pace in the coming months. Consumer confidence fell in August from... 16th September 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Double-dip risks grow The economic data have weakened markedly and across the board over the last month. A weighted average of the CIPS surveys is now consistent with GDP falling on a quarterly basis again. Low consumer... 7th September 2011 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Consumer spending outlook darkens The outlook for consumer spending is perhaps the gloomiest it has been since the darkest days of the recession. Consumer confidence dropped to near rock-bottom levels in July. It probably even fell... 19th August 2011 · 1 min read
