DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ UK inflation holds steady at 4%, lower than expected
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Karl Hendon | Moment | Getty ImagesLONDON — U.K. inflation held steady at 4% year-on-year in January on the back of easing prices for furniture and household goods, food and non-alcoholic beverages. Economists polled by Reuters had produced a consensus forecast of 4.2% year-on-year for January and -0.3% for the month. The CPI goods annual rate slowed from 1.9% to 1.8%, but price pressures in the services industry remained hot, with the CPI services annual rate rising from 6.4% to 6.5%. The U.K. has lagged its peers in bringing down inflation, but the headline CPI has been on a general downward trajectory since the October 2022 peak of 11.1% year-on-year. The labor market and wage growth have meanwhile eased but will remain uncomfortably robust for a central bank aiming to drag inflation back to its 2% target.

Persons: Karl Hendon, Jeremy Hunt, Marion Amiot Organizations: London, Euromonitor International, Karl, Reuters, National Statistics, Bank of England, Finance

☆ UK inflation rate surprises with rise to 4%, led by alcohol and tobacco
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Andresr | E+ | Getty ImagesLONDON — U.K. inflation unexpectedly nudged upwards to 4% year-on-year in December, fueled by a rise in alcohol and tobacco prices. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a modest decline in the annual headline CPI to 3.8%, after November's sharper-than-expected fall to 3.9%. The closely watched core CPI figure — which excludes volatile food, energy, alcohol and tobacco prices — came in at an annual 5.1%, above a 4.9% Reuters forecast and unchanged from November. "This unexpected rise in inflation is a timely reminder that the struggle against soaring inflation is not yet over, particularly given stubbornly high core and services inflation," said Suren Thiru, economics director at ICAEW. "While inflation may rise again in January, following the increase in Ofgem's energy price cap, it should fall at a decent pace thereafter, aided by the expected drop in energy bills from April and lower food inflation."

Persons: Jeremy Hunt Organizations: Reuters, National Statistics, British, Bank of England Locations: U.S, France, Germany

☆ UK inflation dips to 6.7%, below expectations as food prices ease
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The OECD recently predicted that the UK will experience the highest inflation among all advanced economies this year. U.K. inflation surprised with a dip to 6.7% in August, below expectations and sparking increased bets on a pause in interest rate hikes from the Bank of England on Thursday. The goods rate rose slightly from 6.1% to 6.3% but was more than offset by the services rate slowing significantly from 7.4% to 6.8%. Caroline Simmons, U.K. chief investment officer at UBS, told CNBC that the central bank will still most likely hike on Thursday. "We do believe that's going to be their last hike, however, because we do have these downward forces on inflation," she added.

Persons: Raoul Ruparel, Ruparel, Caroline Simmons Organizations: OECD, Bank of England, Reuters, National Statistics, Boston Consulting Groups, for Growth, of England, UBS, CNBC Locations: Sheffield, London

☆ UK headline inflation rate drops sharply to 6.8% in July, in line with expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In August, the Bank of England increased interest rates for the 14th time in a row. LONDON — U.K. headline inflation cooled sharply in July to an annual 6.8%, but the core consumer price index remained unchanged, posing a potential headache for the Bank of England. Analysts noted that the participation rate broadly held steady, while the employment rate declined, signaling a weakening in labor demand. U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said the drop in headline inflation showed the government's action to tackle inflation is "working," but "we're not at the finish line." Cost-of-living crisis 'far from over'With headline inflation falling to 6.8% and wages growing at record pace, the U.K.'s prolonged cost-of-living crisis may be showing signs of abating, said David Henry, investment manager at Quilter Cheviot.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, David Henry, Henry, Suren, Thiru Organizations: Bank of England, LONDON, Reuters, National Statistics, Monetary, Analysts, Office, Finance, Institute of Chartered Accountants Locations: CPIH, Cheviot, England, Wales

☆ UK inflation exceeds expectations in May, piling pressure on the government and Bank of England
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The OECD recently predicted that the UK will experience the highest inflation among all advanced economies this year. Inflation dipped below 10% in April but continues to exceed consensus forecasts and remains significantly higher than the Bank of England 's 2% target. The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH), the ONS' preferred metric, rose by 7.9% in the 12 months to May 2023, up from 7.8% in April. LONDON — U.K. inflation came in hotter than expected in May, as consumer prices rose by an annual 8.7%, unchanged from the previous month. However, he said the Bank will now "feel like it has no choice, especially with core inflation now rising again."

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Jeremy Hunt, Marcus Brookes, Brookes, Thiru Organizations: OECD, Bank of England, ONS, Office, National Statistics, Reuters, LONDON, Organization, Economic Cooperation, Development, CPI, Quilter Investors, Bank Locations: Sheffield

☆ UK inflation rate surprises again with March figure holding above 10%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

City workers in Paternoster Square, where the headquarters of the London Stock Exchange is based, in the City of London, UK, on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesU.K. inflation unexpectedly remained in double-digits in March as households continued to grapple with soaring food and energy bills. The consumer price index rose by an annual 10.1%, according to the Office for National Statistics, above a consensus projection of 9.8% in a Reuters poll of economists. On a monthly basis, CPI inflation was 0.8%, above a Reuters consensus of 0.5% and down from the 1.1% of February. U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said the Wednesday figures reaffirm why the government must continue efforts to drive down inflation.

☆ UK inflation rate breaks 3-month stretch of declines with surprise rise to 10.4%
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.K. inflation unexpectedly jumped in February, as food and energy bills continued to rise, placing further pressure on households. The consumer price index (CPI) increased by an annual 10.4%, above the 9.9% consensus forecast among economists in a Refinitiv poll and up from 10.1% in January. On a monthly basis, CPI inflation was 1.1%, exceeding a forecast of 0.6%. The surprise increase in February marked a break from three consecutive months of slowing price increases since the 41-year high of 11.1% reached in October. Last week, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility projected that U.K. inflation would plummet to 2.9% by the end of 2023 — a forecast Carter said was "increasingly ambitious" in light of the Wednesday print.

Search resuls for: "CPIH"

7 mentions found