UK house prices fell faster than expected in August but according to mortgage lender Nationwide, further declines are likely to be modest. Nationwide said seasonally adjusted house prices followed up a 0.5 percent drop in July with a further fall of 0.9 percent in August. This represented a much larger decline than the 0.2 percent [ Read More ]
Oil remained steady at approximately $74 on Thursday as investors awaited upcoming US reports on employment. This followed daily gains of almost three percent after positive manufacturing data raised optimism across markets. US crude dipped eight cents to $73.83 a barrel for October delivery following a jump of $1.99 on Wednesday. Hopes were raised following [ Read More ]
Consumer confidence in the UK improved unexpectedly for the first time in August since February due to a more positive view on the economic outlook, according to a survey released on Tuesday. The GfK/NOP consumer confidence barometer rose to -18 this month from -22 in July, confounding analysts’ expectations for a further deterioration to -24. [ Read More ]
The yen headed towards a 15-year high against the dollar on Tuesday as traders looked to test Japanese authorities’ resolve on intervention. The Bank of Japan’s took steps to ease the currency yesterday but this failed to frighten-off investors from betting on it rising further. Japan may be forced to sell its currency in the [ Read More ]
Oil headed for a third straight week of losses on Friday as a forecast downgrade in US economic growth spread fear over record oil inventories and both weak housing and manufacturing data. A positive US jobs report, which helped boost US crude by almost 1.2 percent on Thursday was eclipsed by Friday’s negative sentiment. The [ Read More ]
Japan’s Nikkei climbed more than one percent at one stage, boosted after investors unloaded superlong Japanese debt to buy stocks. However, investors remained nervous ahead of US gross domestic product data released later in the day. “Basically, we had a situation where bonds were overbought and stocks were oversold”, said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager [ Read More ]
UK household finances came under pressure in August, according to market researchers Markit and YouGov. A poll of 2,000 households revealed people were increasingly worried about higher costs of living and losing their jobs while the Household Finance Index suggests people are not feeling any benefits from the growing economy. Almost a third of participating [ Read More ]
Concerns about the economy have caused Asian shares to fall following worse worse-than-expected weekly jobless numbers in the USA. Tokyo’s Nikkei index was 2% down, the most effected, as rumours circulated an emergency meeting would be held by the Bank of Japan. The yen has again moved near a 15-month high against the dollar and [ Read More ]
Economists are returning their focus to the USA where high unemployment and a historic housing slump remains an issue of concern. The US economy remains troubled – not weak enough to signal an imminent downturn but not strong enough to breed confidence in businesses to start hiring again. A change in fortunes on either side [ Read More ]
The German economy experienced its fastest quarterly growth in more than 20 years when it hit 2.2% in the three months to the end of June. The primary contributor for the higher-than-expected growth was strong exports and was assisted by household and government spending, as well as a weakened euro. “The German economy is recovering [ Read More ]
Consumer Reports said recently that anti-depressant medications are the preferred ...
