UK Economics Chart Pack Spending still on track for strongest growth since 2005 There is little reason to expect the strong growth in consumer spending seen so far this year to ease off soon. The latest business surveys indicate that employment will continue to grow rapidly over... 21st May 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Few signs of election uncertainty undermining recovery Although GDP posted its smallest quarterly rise since 2012 in the first quarter of this year, we doubt that the economy is on the cusp of a renewed slowdown. The business surveys suggest that Q1’s 0.3... 6th May 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Confidence not dented by election uncertainty With two weeks until May’s general election, the polls still show that no party is likely to win an overall majority and the composition of the next government is unclear. Despite this ongoing... 23rd April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Inflation is dead, but should rise again before long For a country that has spent most of its recent history enduring high inflation, the recent release of figures showing that CPI inflation in the UK has now fallen to zero was a watershed moment. What... 7th April 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Zero inflation boosts consumers’ spending power The trend in retail sales growth still looks healthy and there are reasons to be optimistic that consumer spending will remain strong. Most importantly, inflation has fallen sharply and is now on the... 26th March 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Misery index on track for 50-year low Households are considerably better off than they were just a year or two ago. Indeed, the so-called “misery index” – a sum of the prevailing inflation and unemployment rates – has halved over the last... 4th March 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Retail sales recovery to remain robust Although retail sales volumes were a whopping 5.4% higher in January than a year ago, this does not have the hallmarks of an unsustainable boom. The average price of retail purchases has fallen by... 20th February 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Economy starts 2015 on a surer footing While the preliminary estimate of Q4 GDP indicated that the recovery lost pace towards the end of 2014, early 2015 appears to have seen a renewed acceleration. Indeed, monthly indicators of output... 4th February 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Recovery set to strengthen in 2015 The consumer recovery looks set for another robust year of growth in 2015. Indeed, there are a number of factors which could mean that spending growth accelerates. For a start, the halving in the oil... 23rd January 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Oil price decline to bolster recovery in 2015 The halving of oil prices over the past six months should provide some timely support to the economic recovery. Indeed, coupled with the freezing of energy bills this winter, lower oil prices should... 6th January 2015 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Lower oil prices grease the wheels of recovery Whilst falling oil prices should give an immediate boost to consumers’ discretionary spending power and help to provide a source of festive cheer, rising employment and a strengthening recovery in... 18th December 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Real pay recovery finally gets underway At last, the UK’s real wage squeeze appears to be over. Annual growth in average weekly earnings excluding bonuses picked up from 1.2% to 1.8% in September and so exceeded the same month’s CPI... 4th December 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack End of real wage squeeze boosts spending Prospects still look bright for further solid growth in consumer spending. Admittedly, weaker growth in house prices and the looming prospect of interest rate hikes may soon dampen consumers’ spirits... 20th November 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Significant slowdown still looks unlikely Fears that the UK’s economic recovery is rapidly losing steam appear largely overblown. Admittedly, the Markit/CIPS Composite PMI, which weights together the headline indices for the manufacturing... 5th November 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Consumers continue to benefit from easing inflation The outlook remains bright for further strong growth in consumer spending over the coming quarters. Although the jobs recovery has slowed, the economy has retained a healthy degree of momentum... 23rd October 2014 · 1 min read
UK Economics Chart Pack Recovery aggravates existing imbalances While the economic recovery seems to have broadly maintained its strong pace in the third quarter, the latest national accounts contained signs that the recovery has exacerbated some of the economy’s... 3rd October 2014 · 1 min read
