UK Economics Focus Ten steps to a weakening labour market For some time we have warned that unemployment is likely to rise as economic growth weakens. Indeed, claimant count unemployment has already risen for the last four months in a row. But this far from... 28th June 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Ten steps to a weakening labour market For some time we have warned that unemployment is likely to rise as economic growth weakens. Indeed, claimant count unemployment has already risen for the last four months in a row. But this far from... 28th June 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Productivity boost around the corner The weakness of productivity growth in recent years has come to be seen as the Achilles’ heel of the UK economy, so last year’s pick-up was a welcome development to say the least. Whether this proves... 13th June 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus UK Economics Special - Getting the books back in order: Recent years have seen a major deterioration in the UK’s fiscal position, with the sizeable budget surpluses of three or four years ago replaced by hefty deficits. At a time when large parts of the... 23rd May 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus London 2012 Olympics: No gold medal for the economy With less than two months to go until we find out whether London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games has been successful, the Olympics are gaining ground on the housing market as the most hotly... 19th May 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Profits set to disappoint the stockmarket The UK corporate sector has a lot to live up to over the next year or two. The optimism regarding future stockmarket earnings implies that the recent pick-up in corporate profits is expected to become... 10th May 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus The election and the markets With the general election now less than two weeks away, it is a good time to take a look back at history to see what impact an election usually has on the financial markets. 25th April 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Household incomes feel the pinch Household spending growth has slowed sharply since the end of last year. The Monetary Policy Committee has taken the view that this slowdown will prove to be temporary. But after a closer examination... 19th April 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Household incomes feel the pinch Household spending growth has slowed sharply since the end of last year. The Monetary Policy Committee has taken the view that this slowdown will prove to be temporary. But after a closer examination... 19th April 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus The economy and the election At face value, current conditions in the UK economy would appear strongly to support the widely held expectations of a third consecutive general election victory for Labour on May 5th. GDP has... 12th April 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Where is the strength in the economy? Retailers are producing a steady flow of poor results, the housing market is undergoing a downward adjustment and the UK economy appears to be weakening from almost every angle. Yet the Monetary... 31st March 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Long term trends in consumer spending Spending in different consumer sub-sectors can fluctuate significantly on a monthly, quarterly or even annual basis. But a look back over the past 40 years suggests that spending in most sectors has... 22nd March 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Long term trends in consumer spending Spending in different consumer sub-sectors can fluctuate significantly on a monthly, quarterly or even annual basis. But a look back over the past 40 years suggests that spending in most sectors has... 22nd March 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Budget 2005: Tight, but not quite as tight as it looks For a pre-election Budget, this was a pretty restrained affair. Indeed, the tax and spending measures add up to a small fiscal tightening of £265m in 2005-06, a far cry from the giveaway of up to £5bn... 16th March 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Is there a hidden fiscal crisis? Recent discussion on the public finances has focused on the very narrow question of whether the Chancellor is likely to meet his fiscal rules and whether taxes are likely to rise after the general... 9th March 2005 · 1 min read
UK Economics Focus Budget 2005 Preview Gordon Brown presents his ninth Budget on Wednesday 16th March against a pretty favourable economic backdrop. As he will no doubt remind us, his prediction a year ago that the economy would grow by at... 2nd March 2005 · 1 min read
