The UK retail sales came in at 1.9% over the month in January vs. 1.0% expected and -4.0% prior. The core retail sales, excluding the auto motor fuel sales, stood at 1.7% MoM vs. 1.2% expected and -3.9% previous. On an annualized basis, the UK retail sales jumped by 9.1% …
Read More »UK Annualized Inflation Surges to 5.5%
The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate came in at 5.5% in January when compared to +5.4% registered in December while beating expectations of a +5.4% print, the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the core inflation gauge (excluding volatile food and energy items) rose …
Read More »GBP/USD Retreats Amid Risk-Off Market Mood
The GBP/USD snaps two days of gains and begins the week on the wrong foot amid increasing geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe. At the time of writing, the GBP/USD is trading at 1.3528.The market sentiment is downbeat, depicted by European bourses falling, while US futures point to a lower open. …
Read More »US National Security Advisor: Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin any time
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday that we are in the window where a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin at any time and could happen during the Beijing winter Olympics.The US believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and already communicated those …
Read More »Bank of England Hikes Interest Rates by 25bps to 0.50%
The Bank of England announced its monetary policy decision on Thursday and raised the benchmark interest rate by 25bps to 0.50%. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 5-4 in favour of the rate hike. The decision was in line with market expectations and marked the first back-to-back rises since 2004. …
Read More »UK: Manufacturing PMI Declines to 56.9 in January
Manufacturing PMI in the UK declined to 56.9 in early January from 57.9 in December, IHS Markit reported on Monday. This print came in worse than the market expectation of 57.9. Further details of the publication revealed that the business activity in the services sector expanded at a softer pace …
Read More »UK: Retail Sales Plunge by 3.7% in December
Retail Sales in the UK declined by 3.7% on a monthly basis in December following November’s increase of 1% (revised from +1.4%), the UK’s Office for National Statistics reported on Friday. This reading missed the market expectation for a decline of 0.6% by a wide margin. On a yearly basis, …
Read More »Inflation in Britain Has Risen to Its Highest Level in 30 Years
UK inflation rose to a 30-year high in December, as rising energy costs, rising demand and supply chain problems continued to push up consumer prices. The inflation rate reached 5.4% annually, the highest level since March 1992, and an increase from 5.1% in November, which is itself the highest level …
Read More »UK Plans Crackdown On Misleading Crypto Ads
There is growing concern over a surge in ads promoting crypto assets, which are unregulated in the UK, and the potential for naive investors to lose money.The British government has unveiled plans to crack down on misleading cryptocurrency ads by making them subject to the same regulations as marketing for …
Read More »UK Manufacturing Production Rises MoM in November
Britain’s industrial sector witnessed a solid recovery in November, the latest UK industrial and manufacturing production data published by Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed on Friday. Manufacturing output arrived at 1.1% MoM in November versus 0.2% expectations and 0.1% booked in October while total industrial output came in at …
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