UK retail sales increased during last June, exceeding analyst expectations. Data released by Office for National Statistics showed on Friday that retail sales in Britain increased by 13.9% in June, compared to 12.3% in May. Analysts had expected that retail sales in the United Kingdom would rise by about 8.3% …
Read More »Question Marks about UK Trade Talks with EU, US
Talks for a trade agreement between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) in the post-Brexit era are reportedly stalling or showing little progress. The two sides need to agree on fundamental principles first before negotiations can move forward. “We only have a few weeks left, and we …
Read More »China Accuses UK of Violating International Law
The Chinese Foreign Ministry again criticized the UK’s decision to suspend the extradition treaty in Hong Kong, in the latest escalation of tensions between China and Britain. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Britain’s actions violated international law and international standards. China on Tuesday reiterated its strong opposition to the …
Read More »UK Borrowing Hits Record in 3 Months
British government borrowing rose to a record of 127.9 billion pounds ($ 162 billion) in the first three months of the fiscal year 21/2120, more than twice the entire year previously, with strict Coved 19 closures. Borrowing in June, excluding state-owned banks, reached 35.5 billion pounds, five times higher than …
Read More »Tenreyro: Lower Rates Won’t Raise Spending
Silvana Tenreyro, member of the Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has ruled out lowering interest rates soon, saying that lower rates will not necessarily lead to increased consumer spending. Tenreyro said that there remains significant uncertainty about the economy’s outlook. In her remarks earlier today, the MPC …
Read More »Haldane: BoE Considers Quantitative Easing
The Bank of England (BoE) could consider lowering the cost of borrowing, the bank’s Chief Economist, Andy Haldane, said on Monday. The move could come as a way of adapting to a possible economic shock due to the COVID-19 crisis. “Roughly half of the roughly 25% fall in activity during …
Read More »UK’s Johnson on COVID-19 Vaccine: We’re not there yet
The United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that he doesn’t see a COVID-19 successful vaccine developed by the end of this year, saying “we’re not there yet”. According to Reuters, Britain announced supply deals for two more vaccines under development. “To say that I’m 100% confident that …
Read More »UK PM Johnson: Ministers Will be Able to Close Whole Sectors in an Area
The national lockdown in the UK was undoubtedly the right thing to do, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reiterated on Friday. Quotes“We can now control the virus through targeted local lockdowns.”“We are publishing framework for containing future outbreaks.”“Local authorities will be given new powers from tomorrow.”“Ministers will be able to …
Read More »UK Unemployment Rate Beats Estimates
Data published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed that the UK official unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.9% posted in May while the number of claimants count change fell unexpectedly last month. The number of people claiming jobless decreased by 28.1K in June, compared to expectations for +250K …
Read More »China Responds to UK Huawei Decision
China said on Wednesday that British Prime Minister Ban Huawei’s participation in the fifth-generation network is frustrating, and that other Chinese companies have followed headlines of how UK treat the telecommunications giant, which is harmful to investment. Liu Xiaoming, China’s Ambassador to the UK, said ‘the way you treat Huawei …
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