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☆ Inflation is expected to slow because of these trends
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Washington, DC CNN —US inflation has slowed steadily from its four-decade peak last June, and it’s expected to cool further thanks to easing car prices and rents. Despite the expected inflation drop, she said investors anticipate the Fed will keep interest rates steady and not cut them anytime soon. “It may take a little bit longer than expected for inflation to come down to 2%, and inflation being in a 2-3% range next year is reasonable,” she said. Tuesday: Canada’s statistics agency releases August inflation data. The UK’s Office for National Statistics releases August inflation data.

Persons: we’re, ” José Torres, “, ”, Sarah House, Saira Malik, Michelle Toh, ” Read, General Mills, Christine Lagarde Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Interactive Brokers, CNN, “, ”, United Auto Workers, CPI, San, San Francisco Fed, National Association of Home Builders, US Commerce Department, Japan’s Ministry of Finance, FedEx, General, National Statistics, Federal Reserve, Darden Restaurants, The Bank of England, US Labor Department, National Association of Realtors, The Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Global Locations: Washington, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, China, Michelle Toh ., Japan’s

☆ ‘Unhappy Hour’: U.K. Pub Chains Adopt Surge Pricing for Pints
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Jenny Gross | More About Jenny Gross | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A pint of beer may cost more during peak hours at some pubs owned by Britain’s largest pub company, which has in recent weeks adopted surge pricing. About 800 of the 4,000 pubs owned by the company, Stonegate Group, are either using “dynamic pricing,” in which prices rise at times of increased demand, or may use it in the future to help cope with higher costs for staffing and licensing requirements, Maureen Heffernan, a spokeswoman for Stonegate, said on Tuesday. Stonegate owns the popular pub chains Slug & Lettuce and Craft Union. Ms. Heffernan said that the timing of surge pricing, in which a pint of beer would cost about 20 pence (25 cents) more, would vary by pub, but that generally prices would be higher on weekends and evenings. In July, the average price for a pint of draft lager was 4.31 pounds (about $5.37), up from £4 a year earlier, according to Britain’s Office for National Statistics.

Persons: Maureen Heffernan, Stonegate, Ms, Heffernan Organizations: Britain’s, Stonegate, Craft Union, National Statistics

U.K. gross domestic profit fell by 0.5% in July, below the 0.2% contraction forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. The economy put in a better-than-expected performance for the second quarter as a whole, with the ONS reiterating its reading of 0.2% growth. It is the latest sign of economic strain amid higher interest rates. On Tuesday, figures showed U.K. mortgages in arrears jumped to a seven-year high in the three months to June. Dales highlighted strikes and unusually wet weather as drags on certain sectors, but said output declined more broadly, suggesting widespread weakness.

Persons: Paul Dales, — Jenni Reid Organizations: National Statistics, Capital Economics, Bank of England

LONDON (AP) — The British economy shrank by 0.5% in July amid a series of strikes, particularly by doctors at the start of their careers, and unseasonably wet weather, official figures showed Wednesday. The Office for National Statistics said the strikes by so-called junior doctors weighed on health sector activity, while the sixth wettest July on record hit retailers after a buoyant June, when business was brisk as a result of warm weather. Most economists downplayed the prospect that the British economy would fall into recession as monthly growth figures have been yo-yoing up and down as of late. Still, growth is expected to stay tepid. Political Cartoons View All 1154 ImagesMost economists think the bank will raise its main rate by a further quarter of a percentage point to a fresh 15-year high of 5.5%.

Persons: James Smith Organizations: National Statistics, ING, Bank of England

☆ UK economy shrinks at fastest pace in seven months, hit by strikes and wet weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Office for National Statistics are due to release the latest UK CPI Inflation data on Wednesday. The economy put in a better-than-expected performance for the second quarter as a whole, with the ONS reiterating its reading of 0.2% growth. July's surprise dip meant the economy shrank at its fastest pace since December, according to ONS figures. On Tuesday, figures showed U.K. mortgages in arrears jumped to a seven-year high in the three months to June. Major investment banks trimmed their U.K. growth expectations following the reading.

Persons: Jose Sarmento Matos, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, James Smith, Paul Dales Organizations: National Statistics, Bloomberg, Getty, ING, Capital Economics Locations: Italian, London

Output had risen 0.5% in June, and the economy grew 0.2% over the three months to the end of July. The data underlined signs that Britain's economy is weakening, perhaps by more than the Bank of England had expected ahead of its September interest rate meeting. "Either way, it does suggest that higher interest rates and sticky inflation are having a more significant effect on the economy." Unusually wet weather in July hurt output at retailers and in the construction sector, which fell 0.5%, the ONS said. Wednesday's data does not include recent, substantial upward revisions to the performance of Britain's economy up to the end of 2021.

Persons: Toby Melville, Sterling, BoE, Neil Birrell, Samuel Tombs, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, William James, Alison Williams Organizations: St Thomas ' Hospital, REUTERS, LONDON, National Statistics, Bank of England, Premier Miton, ONS, Thomson Locations: St, London, Britain, England

Workers walk through the Canary Wharf financial district, ahead of a Bank of England decision on interest rate changes, in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. The unemployment rate rose, the number of people in work fell sharply and vacancies dipped below 1 million for the first time in two years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Tuesday. Yet if incoming data doesn't turn definitively, another hike to a terminal rate of 5.75% is absolutely on the table." The unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in the three months to July from 4.2% a month earlier, its highest since the three months to the end of September 2021, the ONS said. Including bonuses, pay rose by 8.5% compared with the 8.2% consensus, boosted in part by backdated pay for healthcare workers.

Persons: Toby Melville, BoE, Hugh Gimber, they've, Andrew Bailey, Jeremy Hunt, Andy Bruce, David Milliken, Sachin Ravikumar, David Holmes Organizations: Bank of, REUTERS, Bank of England, National Statistics, Morgan Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Bank of England, London, Britain

☆ The problem with labor data in understanding inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The central bank will continue to pay close attention to the state of the labor market, specifically on wages, as it focuses on defeating inflation, but there’s only so much that labor data can reveal about price increases. Mainly, it’s that wage figures are great at gauging inflation’s progress, but they’re lousy at forecasting its future. Financial markets have shifted back to a “bad news is good news” way of perceiving economic data and will continue to react to labor data, but ultimately, it’s the actual inflation data that matter most to the Fed. The issue of labor figures in forecasting inflation lies with productivity data. The Federal Reserve releases August data on industrial production.

Persons: Austan Goolsbee, Raphael Bostic, ”, Quincy Krosby, ” Agron Nicaj, it’s, Anna Cooban, ” James Athey Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, DC CNN, Federal Reserve, Fed, Chicago Fed, Bloomberg, Atlanta Fed, Financial, LPL Financial, CNN, Oracle, National Federation of Independent Business, National Statistics, US Labor Department, Adobe, European Central Bank, US Commerce Department, China’s National Bureau of Statistics, Lennar Homes, The University of Michigan Locations: Washington, Saudi Arabia

☆ In 'macho' Mexico, stage set for first female president
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] Former Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum reacts after she was nominated as a presidential candidate, in Mexico City, Mexico September 6, 2023. "It's extraordinary in a patriarchal country," said Josefina Vazquez Mota, who made history in 2012 as the first female presidential candidate for one of Mexico's main parties. "Just imagine having a female president in a country as macho as Mexico!" Mexican women did not win full voting rights until 1953, 33 years after the neighboring United States. Today, Vazquez Mota said, her PAN ally Galvez no longer had to respond to whether Mexico was ready for a female president.

Persons: Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Henry Romero, Claudia Sheinbaum, Xochitl Galvez, Galvez, Josefina Vazquez Mota, Vazquez Mota, Maria del Carmen Garcia, Mexico City Mayor Sheinbaum, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Marcelo Ebrard, Angelica Rodriguez, femicides, Guadalupe, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Lorenzo Meyer, anticlerical, Gabriela Cuevas, Dave Graham, Stefanie Eschenbacher, Alberto Fajardo, Stephen Eisenhammer, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Mexico City Mayor, REUTERS, Action Party, PAN, Mexican, Court, men's, Roman, Virgin, Church, Colegio de Mexico, Reuters Graphics, Inter, Parliamentary Union, Federal, Vamos, OECD, Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, America, Brazil, Honduras, Peru, United States, Canada, Yucatan, Reuters Graphics Mexico, Britain, Mexican, U.S, Turkey, Argentina

☆ After big GDP revision, UK statisticians seek faster data access
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A rainbow is seen over apartments in Wandsworth on the River Thames as UK house prices continue to fall, in London, Britain, August 26, 2023. A senior official at the Office for National Statistics asked Britain's statistics regulator to review the outcome of its upcoming work on how it revised its estimates of the swings in the economy around the coronavirus pandemic period. The ONS collects a lot of data itself through surveys of businesses and households, but relies on government departments and other agencies for certain numbers. On Friday, revised data from the ONS showed that Britain's economy performed more strongly than previously thought in its recovery from the pandemic and was ahead of other big European countries at the end of 2021 rather than lagging behind them. Reporting by William Schomberg; editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, Michael Keoghan, William Schomberg, David Milliken Organizations: REUTERS, Office, National Statistics, Statistics, Thomson Locations: Wandsworth, London, Britain

☆ Mexico's core inflation to fall to lowest level since late 2021 in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Customers look at fruits at a makeshift stall in a market in Mexico City, Mexico April 8, 2022. Meanwhile, annual core inflation is forecast to have slowed to 6.12%, which would mark its lowest level since December 2021. The closely watched core price index is considered a better gauge of price trends because it strips out some volatile food and energy prices. In August alone, consumer prices likely rose 0.52% compared to July, while core inflation is forecast to have risen 0.30%, according to the poll. (MXINFL=ECI), (MXCPIX=ECI)Mexico's national statistics agency INEGI will publish consumer price index data for August on Thursday.

Persons: Luis Cortes, Bank of Mexico Governor Victoria Rodriguez, Noe Torres, Gabriel Burin, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, Bank of Mexico Governor, Thomson Locations: Mexico City, Mexico, MEXICO, Bank, Bank of Mexico, Buenos Aires

☆ How big banks won the banking crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Before the Bell: Now that the dust is hopefully settling on this year’s regional banking crisis, are there clear winners and losers in the banking sector? David Kotok: There’s no question the [global systemically important banks, G-SIB] won and the middle-sized banks — let’s call that banks with between $50 billion and $250 billion in assets — were the losers. So if you stand back from the immediate 2023 banking crisis, and you say, how many banks were there 20 years ago in the United States, how many banks are there today? The UK economy is bigger than we thoughtThe UK economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic much faster than previously thought, reports my colleague Hanna Ziady. For many office workers around the United States, it also means more return-to-office mandates.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Bell, David Kotok, he’s, SIB, Jamie Dimon, J.P, Morgan, hasn’t, Hanna Ziady, John Springford, Andy Jassy, CNN’s Jeanne Sahadi, unaddressed, Merck Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Silicon Valley Bank, UBS, JPMorgan, Republic Bank, Cumberland Advisors, —, Credit Suisse, First, Federal Reserve, Office, National Statistics, ONS, Centre, European Reform, Labor, Amazon, Business Locations: New York, Silicon, First Republic, United States, Jekyll, America, Hanna Ziady ., Germany, Canada, Japan, Italy, France, Britain

☆ The UK economy is bigger than we thought. It still has ‘a growth problem’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —The UK economy recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic much faster than previously thought, according to major revisions of official statistics that have erased Britain’s laggard status overnight. The ONS had said as recently as last month that UK GDP had still not reached its pre-pandemic size by the second quarter of this year. “UK growth has still been very sluggish, even if it’s not at the bottom,” said Prof. Huw Dixon, who leads research in economic measurement at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. So while the size of the economy is bigger than we thought, Britain still has a growth problem.”Richer dataIn 2020, the UK economy suffered its biggest slump in more than three centuries, recovering sharply the following year off a low base. Annual GDP growth for 2021 was also revised up by 1.1 percentage points to 8.7%.

Persons: ” Ruth Gregory, “, ”, Huw Dixon, ” Dixon, ” John Springford, Richer, That’s, Frost, Darren Morgan, Henry Nicholls, Jeremy Hunt, Gregory, Nomura Organizations: London CNN, Office, National Statistics, ONS, Capital Economics, National Institute of Economic, Social Research, CNN, Centre, European Reform, Getty Images, Bank of England Locations: Germany, United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, France, Britain, Petticoat Lane, AFP, United Kingdom

☆ British home prices to fall 4% in 2023 as borrowing costs bite: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Jonathan Cable | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The most pessimistic forecast was for a 10% fall, despite consumer prices expected to rise 7.5% this year, according to a separate Reuters poll. They were expected to flatline in 2024 and rise a little over 3% the year after, little changed from the previous poll. "The London housing market ebbs and flows, yet is there really such a thing as a 'London property market' nowadays?" RENTAL STRESSThose unable or unwilling to make it onto the property ladder will feel the pinch from surging rental costs. Private rental prices paid by tenants in Britain rose 5.3% in the 12 months to July, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Persons: Stefan Wermuth, BoE, Michael McGill, Zoopla, Russell Quirk, Aneisha Beveridge, Jonathan Cable, Mumal Rathore, Rahul Trivedi, Purujit, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Kensington, Mayfair, Barking, Dagenham

☆ UK home sales set to hit their lowest since 2012 as mortgage sales plummet
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Hannah Ward-Glenton | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

That's the equivalent of each household moving once every 23 years, an increase of six years from 2021, the monthly report found. Demand for homes in the last four weeks is down 34% compared to the average of the last five years, as higher mortgage rates and cost-of-living pressures weigh on the market, Zoopla said. While house prices have seen a small uptick, sales numbers have been hit hardest by higher borrowing costs, Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla said in a press release. "Cash buyers are more immune and on track to account for more than one in three sales in 2023," Donnell said. Mortgage rates have started to come down but remain high, with the average rate for a 2-year fixed mortgage for a 95% loan at 6.7% for the week of Aug. 21, online real estate company Rightmove said last week.

Persons: Zoopla, Richard Donnell, Donnell, Rightmove Organizations: Office, National Statistics, Bank of England

☆ Lower inflation boosts UK consumer mood: GfK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FILE PHOTO-Shoppers walk past sale signs on Oxford Street, as Britain struggles with the highest inflation rate among the world's big rich economies, London, Britain, 17 July 2023. The GfK consumer sentiment indicator rose to -25 in August from a three-month low of -30 in July, its biggest rise since April although still below the average of -10 for the survey, which has been running since 1974. Consumer price inflation dropped to 6.8% in July, down from a 41-year high of 11.1% reached in October 2022, although still higher than in all other major economies. The improvement in the GfK survey contrasts with other recent downbeat data on consumer spending. The GfK data was based on a survey of 2,001 people conducted between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10.

Persons: Rachel Adams, Joe Staton, David Milliken, Andy Bruce Organizations: Oxford, REUTERS, Reuters, of England, NIQ, Office, National Statistics, Thomson Locations: Britain, London

☆ UK pay deals cool for first time in 2023, easing pressure on BoE: XpertHR
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Median basic pay deals in the three months to the end of July fell to 5.7% following six consecutive quarters at a record 6%, human resources publication and data provider XpertHR said. Pay awards remained below the rate of inflation. Sheila Attwood, senior content manager at XpertHR, said pay awards had likely hit their peak and expects the gap between pay deals and inflation to narrow. However, official figures from the Office for National Statistics showed annual wage growth excluding bonuses rose to 7.8% in the three months to June, the highest in records going back to 2001. XpertHR said median pay awards for the public sector stood at 5% in the year to July, up from 3.2% in the year before.

Persons: Kevin Coombs, XpertHR, BoE, Sheila Attwood, Attwood, Suban Abdulla, Andy Bruce Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Bank of England, Bank of England, Office, National Statistics, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, XpertHR

☆ Why inflation makes Britain’s debt the costliest among rich economies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Interest payable on UK central government debt hoovered up £7.7 billion ($9.8 billion) last month alone, hitting a record for July, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. That’s double the share in Italy, whose dependence on inflation-linked debt comes second only to that of the UK among advanced economies, according to Fitch Ratings. According to Fitch, Britain now spends more to service its debt than any other developed economy, as a percentage of government revenue. In a statement Tuesday, Hunt said: “As inflation slows, it’s vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances. Only by sticking to our plan will we halve inflation, grow the economy and reduce debt.”

Persons: That’s, ”, Ellie Henderson, Fitch, ” Ruth Gregory, Jeremy Hunt “, Gregory, Hunt Organizations: London CNN, National Statistics, United, Fitch, “, Investec, AAA, Capital Economics, CNN, Conservative Locations: Ukraine, United States, Italy, Fitch, Britain, London

Net borrowing, excluding state-owned banks, stood at 4.3 billion pounds ($5.49 billion) last month, less than the median forecast of 5.0 billion pounds in a Reuters poll of economists. In the first four months of the financial year, borrowing stood at 56.6 billion pounds. "As inflation slows, it's vital that we don’t alter our course and continue to act responsibly with the public finances," Hunt said in a statement after the data. Interest costs rose by 1.5 billion pounds compared with July last year to 7.7 billion pounds, the highest for July since records began in April 1997. The public finances were boosted by inflows of self-assessed income tax receipts which are typically strong in July, which stood at 11.8 billion pounds, 2.5 billion pounds more than in July last year.

Persons: Jeremy Hunt, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Hunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss's, Ruth Gregory, Gregory, Gabriella Dickens, William Schomberg, Sachin Ravikumar, Andrew Heavens, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of England, Conservative Party, Treasury, Capital Economics, Senior, National Statistics, Britain's, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

Official data showed sales volumes last month were 1.2% lower than in June. Food stores sales volumes fell by a monthly 2.6% while non-food stores sales volumes fell by 1.7%. However, July's data represented only the second time that sales volumes fell on a month-to-month basis so far in 2023, suggesting resilience in consumer demand. Market research firm GfK reported last month that consumer confidence fell in July for the first time since January. Retail sales volumes were 3.2% lower than a year earlier, the ONS said, compared with economists' forecasts for a 2.1% decline.

Persons: Sterling, Heather Bovill, Ruth Gregory, GfK, Samuel Tombs, BoE, Tombs, Spencer, James Davey, Kate Holton, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, Office, National Statistics, Department, Bank of England, Capital Economics, Macroeconomics, Thomson

☆ 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

☆ High services costs make UK rate-cutting laggard
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey speaks as he attends a press conference for the Monetary Policy Report August 2023, at the Bank of England in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) - UK inflation is slowing, according to many metrics. Unfortunately, those are not the ones the Bank of England values the most. Prices in that category grew 7.4% in July, faster than June’s 7.2%, due to more expensive restaurants, hotels and airfares. Policymakers keep a close eye on services’ prices and wage growth, which hit a record in the three months to June.

Persons: Bank of England Andrew Bailey, Alastair Grant, Andrew Bailey, Bailey, Francesco Guerrera, Exor’s Philips, Bain, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Bank of England, Monetary, REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, Bank of, Office, National Statistics . Services, European Central Bank, U.S . Federal Reserve, Twitter, FC Barcelona’s, Messi, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Bank of England, June’s

☆ U.K. Inflation Eases to 6.8% as Energy Prices Fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Liz Alderman | More About Liz Alderman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Behind the Numbers: Slowdown reflects falling energy prices. Inflation in Britain peaked in October at more than 11 percent, the highest rate in 30 years, after Russia’s war in Ukraine fanned a surge in energy and food prices. Officials in Britain and Europe’s largest economies have worked to tame high energy costs, which jumped after Russian gas supplies were cut off. Food prices in the U.K. rose 14.8 percent in July from a year earlier. Wages in Britain have been rising, as workers demand higher pay to offset rising prices and employers compete to fill jobs in a tight labor market.

Persons: it’s, Darren Morgan Organizations: National Statistics, Bank of England, The Bank of England Locations: Britain, Ukraine, Germany

☆ UK inflation slows to 6.8% but services are getting even more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

That is the smallest annual rise since February 2022 and reflects falls in the price of gas and electricity after an energy price cap, set by the energy regulator, was lowered at the end of June. “Although remaining high, food price inflation has also eased again, particularly for milk, bread and cereal,” said ONS deputy director of prices Matthew Corder. Food price inflation slowed to 14.9% in July, from 17.4% in June, with prices still rising strongly but less than in June. In less good news, services inflation accelerated last month to 7.4%, from 7.2% in June. “With labor costs being the bulk of the expense for services providers, the Bank of England may deem that more work has to be done to ensure that services price inflation is contained,” said Ellie Henderson, an economist at Investec in London.

Persons: ”, Matthew Corder, Ellie Henderson, Jamie Dutta Organizations: London CNN —, National Statistics, Bank of England, Investec, Financial Locations: “, London

The ONS said falling gas and electricity prices were the biggest driver behind the drop in inflation, while food price inflation also eased. Despite the drop in the headline figure, Britain retains one of the highest rates of price growth in Western Europe, with only Iceland and Austria suffering higher inflation. The BoE is watching core inflation - which strips out volatile food and energy prices - and consumer services prices closely. Services inflation picked up to 7.4% from 7.2% in June. Financial markets on Wednesday showed a roughly two-thirds chance that the BoE's Bank Rate will hit 6% in February, up from 5.25% now.

Persons: Phil Noble, BoE, Sterling, Ruth Gregory, Jeremy Hunt, Andy Bruce, William Schomberg Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of, National Statistics, U.S, ONS, Bank, Capital Economics, Financial, Manufacturers, Thomson Locations: Altrincham, Britain, Bank of England, Western Europe, Iceland, Austria, BoE's

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