- Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 15:35
- Featured
Continuing adverse weather is likely to have a “significant” effect on the UK economy and could damage its fragile recovery.
Shares in retailers and airlines have been hit over the past week as fears grow that the cold snap could have a negative impact on growth. Analysts had been expecting consumers to spend on ...
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- Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 15:33
- Economy
UK consumer confidence is near to collapse according to figures published today.
The monthly GfK /NOP Consumer Confidence Index, conducted on behalf of the European Commission, remained static at minus 21 points with every major indicator down on November bar one.
The only measure propping the index up was a slight rise in the number of big ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 17:20
- Personal Finance
Britons struggling with the consequences of the recession have been urged not to turn to door step lenders and loan sharks to pay for presents and festivities over the Christmas period.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) say that more than a quarter of a million people may be vulnerable to unscrupulous lenders charging punitive rates of interest when they are unable to access credit elsewhere ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 17:18
- Personal Finance
Some 57% of Briton’s fear that they will encounter financial difficulties in 2011, according to a study by the Samaritans.
Nearly two thirds of people are concerned that they will not have enough money to make ends meet next year after what nearly a third described as their worst year ever in 2010.
Around 56% of those surveyed said that they were worried that they might suffer ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 17:11
- Personal Finance
The coalition government’s attempt to slash the public deficit will push an extra 200,000 children into absolute poverty according to analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Overall poverty will rise amongst children and working age adults over the next three years as average incomes stagnate, unemployment rises, inflation starts to bite and benefits are cut. Housing benefit reforms alone will force 100,000 children below ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 17:08
- Mortgages
Millions of homeowners are at risk from a rapid rise in interest rates the Bank of England has warned.
The historically low base rate has tempted many families to opt for tracker or variable products as opposed to fixed rate deals leaving them vulnerable to a sudden increase in prices.
The Bank’s financial stability report says that many households could face mortgage misery if interest rates rise ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 17:03
- Economy
Unemployment has been pushed above 2.5 million by the first wave of the public sector jobs cull.
Women have borne the brunt of the cuts with female unemployment now at a 20 year high. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that more than one million women are now without a job, the ...
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- Monday, December 20, 2010, 16:59
- Featured, Mortgages
Consumers believe that the best time to enter the housing market will over the next year.
Research carried out by the Building Societies Association (BSA) found that 59% of people would buy property immediately or within the next year given sufficient resources despite falling house prices. A further 11% of those asked said that ...
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- Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 13:27
- Debt Management, Featured
The Student Loans Company (SLC) has continued to take payments from graduates who have already paid off their loans, it has been revealed.
More than £15 million was taken from the wage packets of former students last year and some 57,000 were waiting for a refund for the year to March 2010, according to the consumer ...
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- Wednesday, December 15, 2010, 13:20
- Economy
The cost of living rose again in November as inflation hit 3.3%.
Increases in the cost of food and clothing items helped push the Consumer Price Index (CPI) up from 3.2% in October, keeping it well above the Bank of England’s target of 2%. City commentators had expected the rate to remain unchanged.
The continued upward pressure ...
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