Highest ratio since the 1960’s and even higher than that reached during the Covid pandemic of 2020. The UK’s national debt has reached its highest level since 1962. Official figures from the ONS show that the total government debt amounted to 99.5% of the economy’s value in June 2024, surpassingRead More →
In May 2024, the U.K. economy expanded by 0.4%, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday 11th July 2024. The newly elected Labour Party will welcome this broad-based recovery as Prime Minister Keir Starmer begins his first week in office. Following the announcement, Sterling surgedRead More →
Over the last weekend of June 2024, China released its official PMI figures, with the manufacturing PMI remaining at 49.5, the same as in May 2024, indicating a second consecutive month of contraction. On Monday 1st July 2024, Japan adjusted its first-quarter GDP figures, showing a contraction of 2.9% year-on-year,Read More →
UK economy purring but not roaring like a lion… yet! The UK economy expanded more than initially thought in the first quarter of 2024, signalling a recovery from recession, according to updated official data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that from January to March 2024, the economy experiencedRead More →
To put this figure into some perspective, the loss is comparable to the GDP output of a small country, such as Norway, Singapore, or the UAE, for example. Global semiconductor stocks experienced volatility on Tuesday following a decline in Nvidia’s shares from the previous trading sessions. Shares of chip firmsRead More →
In April 2024, the U.K.’s economic growth came to a standstill, figures released on Wednesday 12th June 2024 indicated, putting a pause on the subdued recovery from the previous year’s recession just weeks before the UK election. Analysts had anticipated growth a levelling off following a 0.4% expansion in MarchRead More →
On Wednesday 29th May 2024, the International Monetary Fund increased its projection for China’s economic growth this year to 5% from the previous 4.6%, citing robust first-quarter figures and recent policy actions. This revision reportedly came after the IMF’s routine evaluation visit to China. The institution now predicts that China’sRead More →
The U.K. economy has recovered from its ‘technical’ recession, with the gross domestic product (GDP) increasing by 0.6% in the first quarter, surpassing expectations. Official figures released on Friday revealed this growth, which exceeded the 0.4% predicted by economists surveyed by Reuters for the previous quarter. In the latter halfRead More →
Forecasts indicate that the UK economy will experience sluggish growth among the largest developed nations in 2025. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has projected a 1% increase in the UK’s gross domestic product (GDP) for 2025, which lags behind the growth rates of other G7 nations, includingRead More →
Borge Brende, the president of the World Economic Forum (WEF), recently issued a stark warning about global debt levels. Speaking at the ‘Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development‘ in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, (see WEF website), he highlighted that global debt ratios are approaching levels not seen since the 1820s. TheRead More →
The gross domestic product (GDP) from January to March 2024, grew at an annualised rate of 1.6%, significantly underperforming the projected 2.4%. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, crucial for the Federal Reserve’s inflation assessments, climbed at an annualised rate of 3.4% for the quarter, marking the largest increaseRead More →
The International Monetary Fund calculates that Russia’s economy will expand more rapidly than all advanced economies this year. According to the latest World Economic Outlook released by the IMF, Russia’s economy is projected to expand by 3.2% in 2024. This growth outpaces the anticipated growth rates for the U.S. atRead More →
On a quarter-by-quarter basis, China’s GDP grew 1.6% in the first quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of around expectations of 1.4%. Beijing’s growth target for 2024 is around 5%. China’s growth was driven in part by external demand, as export volume grew by 14% year on year. Industrial output forRead More →
One tenth of 1% is very little but we can at least hope the UK is on it’s on way out of recession Let’s blame the weather The economy grew by 0.1%, figures show, boosted by production and manufacturing in areas such as the car sector. The Office for NationalRead More →
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released updated UK GDP figures, confirming that the UK entered a technical recession in the last six months of the previous year. The new data shows the economy contracted by 0.1% in the three months from June to August 2023, with a furtherRead More →
The economy grew by 0.2%, ONS figures show, boosted by sales in shops and online and from more construction activity. Hopefully this means the UK is on its way out of recession. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the services sector led the bounce back. This is an earlyRead More →
According to the revised official data, the Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year. According to this revision, the economy avoided a technical recession, which is usually defined as two successive quarters of negativeRead More →
India is ‘easily’ the fastest growing economy in the world according to the IMF, as the country’s Q3 GDP growth soared past analysts’ estimates. The world’s fastest growing major economy expanded 8.4% in the last three months of 2023. 8.4% GDP growth in Q3 At 8.4%, India’s economy expanded atRead More →
Japan’s economy slipped into a technical recession, after the economy unexpectedly contracted again in the October-December 2023period, government data showed Thursday 15th February 2024. High inflation affected domestic demand and private consumption in what’s now the world’s fourth-largest economy. Provisional gross domestic product contracted 0.4% in the fourth quarter compared with aRead More →
The U.S. economy grew at a much faster pace than expected in the final three months of 2023. The U.S. easily avoided a recession that many had forecast as inevitable, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday 25th January 2024. Gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of all the goods andRead More →
The UK is at risk of recession after revised figures indicate the economy shrank between July and September 2023. A recession is defined as when the economy shrinks for two three-month periods in a row. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which measures the health of the economy, contracted by 0.1% afterRead More →
A Downgrade Amidst Economic Slowdown In a significant development that has raised concerns among investors and policymakers worldwide, China’s debt outlook has been downgraded as the country grapples with a slowing economy. This move reflects growing apprehensions about the sustainability of China’s economic growth and its ability to manage itsRead More →
The economy fell by 0.3% October, after growth of 0.2% in September 2023. UK GDP is 0.0% The UK economy shrank more than expected in October 2023, as higher interest rates hit consumers. The bad weather didn’t help either. Household spending has been dented by rate rises as the BankRead More →
U.S. GDP figure better that forecast The U.S. economy grew even stronger than previously calculated in the third quarter, the result of better than expected business investment and stronger government spending, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Wednesday 29th November 2023. Gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of all goodsRead More →
The U.K. economy flatlined in the third quarter, initial figures showed Friday 10th November 2023. Gross domestic product (GDP) showed zero quarterly growth in the three months to the end of September 2023, following an increase of 0.2% in the previous quarter. In annual terms, the UK’s Q3 GDP wasRead More →
Fed Chair Jerome Powell reportedly said he and his colleagues remain steadfast in getting policy in line with their 2% inflation target, but ‘we are not confident that we have achieved such a stance’. He stressed the Fed nevertheless can be cautious as the risks between doing too much andRead More →