The UK manufacturing and services sector activities continue to improve in March, the preliminary report from IHS Markit showed this Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) jumped to 40-month highs of 57.9 in March versus 55.0 expected and 55.1 – February’s final reading.
Read More »Britain’s Inflation Fell Unexpectedly to 0.4% in February
Official figures showed that UK consumer price inflation fell to 0.4% in February from 0.7% in January, reflecting unusual patterns of discounts on clothing. This came against expectations in a Reuters poll for a rise to 0.8%.
Read More »The British Trade Minister Discusses a Trade Agreement With Her American Counterpart
The office of British Trade Secretary Lise Truss said that she discussed progress toward a free trade agreement with the United States during talks with her US counterpart on Monday, pointing to the need for closer economic relations between the two countries. Truss’s office said she telephoned Catherine Tay to …
Read More »UK: CBI Manufacturing Order Book Balance Rises to Highest Level Since April 2019
The data from the UK showed on Friday that the CBI’s Manufacturing Order Book Balance improved sharply to its highest level since April 2019 at -5 in March from -24 in February. This reading beat the market expectation of -20 by a wide margin. Further details of the publication revealed …
Read More »UK Borrowed 19.1 billion Pounds in February
Official data revealed today that the British government borrowed 19.1 billion pounds last month, less than the expectation in a poll conducted by Reuters to borrow 21 billion pounds (29.2 billion dollars), bringing borrowing in the first 11 months of the financial year to nearly 279 billion pounds.
Read More »Sterling Falls Due to a Jump in US Treasury Yields
The pound fell again on Monday (March 15th) amid an increase in US Treasury yields and with the European Union launching legal action against Britain’s unilateral changes to trade arrangements with Northern Ireland. The 27-nation bloc said the changes violated the Brexit deal signed last year. The pound fell 0.22% …
Read More »EU Plans Legal Action Against UK Over Northern Ireland Trade Rules
The drama of the Brexit saga continues, as disagreements between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) seem to have escalated once again after the European bloc decided to take legal action against what it is considering to be unilateral moves by Britain in regards to the Northern …
Read More »UK Manufacturing Production Decline in January
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published the UK industrial and manufacturing production data on Friday, suggesting that Britain’s industrial sector is facing a hard time amid the covid-induced lockdowns. Manufacturing output arrived at 2.3% MoM in January versus -0.8% expectations and 0.3% booked in December while total industrial output came in …
Read More »Britain’s Economy Contracted Less Than Expected in January
Official data revealed today that Britain’s economy shrank by 2.9% in January compared to December, a less severe pace than expected, as the country again entered into general isolation measures aimed at combating the spread of the Coronavirus. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a contraction of 4.9%. The Bank …
Read More »OECD Raises Expectations for Global Growth in 2021
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expects the global economy will expand by 5.6% in 2021, raising its forecast for growth compared with an estimated rate of 4.2% in the previous report. The OECD report issued on Tuesday noted that recovery from the Coronavirus impact this year will …
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