Economics RSS

US investors abandon the falling dollar to buy stocks

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

A jump in US house sales and no hope of an increase in interest rates pushed investors away from the dollar and back into stocks yesterday.

Japan flirts with disaster as debt deepens

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

The Japanese Finance Ministry is planning to float 140,000 billion yen (£950 billion) of “ordinary” government bonds in 2010, an unprecedented issuance of debt that will reignite concerns about the creditworthiness of the world’s second biggest economy.

OECD confirms that Britain is lagging behind the world’s leading economies

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Britain’s economy is lagging well behind other leading industrialised countries, a leading economic think-tank confirmed yesterday.

UK economy is the 'sick man' as rivals recover

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:08:10 GMT

The leading industrialised economies emerged from recession between July and September, but Britain remained the "sick man", staying in an economic slump, figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showed today.

Cameron warns business that debt is his priority

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:06:20 GMT

David Cameron today told Britain’s leading businessmen not to expect government money and incentives under a Tory administration because the country does not have the funds.

Don't choke economic recovery, warns Brown

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:47:32 GMT

Gordon Brown warned today that Britain's recovery from recession would be put at jeopardy if official support for the economy was switched off prematurely.

IMF warns second bailout would 'threaten democracy'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:22:42 GMT

The public will not bail out the financial services sector for a second time if another global crisis blows up in four or five years time, the managing-director of the International Monetary Fund warned this morning.

IMF says global economy is 'highly vulnerable'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:50:38 GMT

State support for the world's battered economies must remain in place if a smooth recovery is to be achieved, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned today.

Why the Budget’s little brother is still growing in importance

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

The Times is running a fortnightly series of briefings to coincide with Target Two Point Zero, the Bank of England’s competition for sixth-form students run in conjunction with this newspaper. The contest challenges students across Britain to play the role of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and recommend the best level for interest rates. This week: Budget and Pre-Budget Reports.

America dreams of a flat Christmas on Main Street

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

When Gap, the clothing store, held a “one day only” sale for four out of seven days this month, it set the tone for this year’s all-important Black Friday sales in America.

Business confidence at six-year high, but GDP and lending figures remain weak

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Confidence among British businesses has risen to a six-year high, a new survey suggests today, boosting hopes that the recession is over.

Globetrotting puts 'official' figures into perspective

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

For much of the period since the end of the summer, I have been travelling around the world for my exciting but demanding job. I have been to Brazil, China, twice, once on a very long trip, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey and to many places in Europe. One constant surprise for me is the emotional state of the discussions I encounter about the health of the UK economy.

CBI prepares to spell out the shape of things to come

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

The Director-General of the CBI will say today that businesses in Britain are set for the biggest root-and-branch shake-up in more than a decade.

Adam Smith: the Scottish hero of China

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

With her micro mini, smartphone and chunky urban chic, student Man Luo is the image of modern Chinese youth abroad. She’s full of poised and respectful enthusiasm both for Scotland and the Communist party, which enabled her to get here. Halfway through a PhD in foreign exchange markets, with her tutor beaming proudly at her, you can readily see in her the way the rest of this century will go.

Treasury hits at hysteria

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

TREASURY officials have dismissed what they describe as hysteria over government borrowing, following figures that were widely interpreted in the City as pointing to a substantial overshoot for the chancellor’s £175 billion forecast for the budget deficit.

My shopping list – by the first lady of business

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

It’s not often that a pass to the CBI’s annual conference can claim to be the hottest ticket in town, but this year’s event, taking place in London tomorrow, promises to be quite a show.

Ministers and bank divided as Japan faces return to deflation

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

The Bank of Japan and the Japanese Finance Ministry have embarked on a bizarre public row over the threat of deflation and whether the country’s economy is poised for a recovery or slump.

Japan's economy slides into deflation

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:31:01 GMT

Japan's economy has officially plunged back into deflation, condemning its struggling companies to a purgatory of falling prices and setting up a potentially explosive collision between the Finance Ministry and the Central Bank.

Falling tax take quashes Labour hopes of optimistic mini-Budget

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Labour’s hopes for a feel-good mini-Budget next month have been dashed as plunging tax receipts drove Britain further into the red.

Rising Government debt lifts tax-rise chances

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Pressure for tax rises and public spending cuts intensified yesterday as it was disclosed that the Government was forced to borrow an extra £11.4 billion to pay its bills last month, the worst October figure since records began.

Mortgage and housebuilding figures offer hope

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Healthier mortgage lending and housebuilding figures published gave hope of a return to better housing market conditions, but remained far below normal levels.

Tempus comment: OECD's optimistic long view

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:57:17 GMT

Despite expecting the economy to shrink by a larger margin this year than it previously thought in June, the OECD is more upbeat about the outlook for the UK in the coming years.

October mortgage lending rises 5 per cent

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:18:18 GMT

Gross mortgage lending rose to an estimated £13.5 billion in October, up 5 per cent on the previous month, according to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders.

Britain's borrowing hits record £11.4 billion

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:44:02 GMT

The threadbare public finances were thrown back into the spotlight today as it was revealed the Government was forced to borrow £11.4 billion in October to meet its bills - the worst figure for the month since records began in 1946.

Problems with the plumbing

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:01:00 GMT

Who better to test the temperature of a recovery than a plumber’s merchant, a business that survives on quick response, short-term cycles and rapid stock turnover?