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Economics
Fisher pro QE but warns over ‘indefinite’ stimulus
BANK of England policymaker Paul Fisher has cautioned against a US-style commitment to long-term financial stimulus, although he remains in favour of a “slow amount” of additional bond purchases.
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Comment: Flybe blame-game goes beyond Gatwick
THERE have been many disputes between airlines and airports over fees, but rarely have they hit the sort of heights that led Flybe to pull out of Gatwick.
Comment: Need to do more than beat drum for exports
EVER since the onset of recession, we’ve heard near constant clamour for the need to “rebalance” the economy towards trade rather than consumption.
Next Chancellor must cut deeply, economists warn
WHOEVER wins the next general election will have to make deeper public sector cuts in order to avoid a “financial crisis” in which international money markets lose confidence in Britain, economists will warn today.
6 commentsMPC remained split over call to raise QE
Outgoing Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King was outvoted again in his call for more monetary stimulus this month, it was revealed today.
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Mark Carney may benefit from easing of inflation
ECONOMISTS believe incoming Bank of England governor Mark Carney will have room to print further money or copy Japan’s more radical “Abenomics” after inflation fell to a seven-month low last month.
1 commentJobs and wage growth gain pace in Scotland
Scotland’s economic recovery strengthened last month as firms created permanent jobs at their fastest rate for a year.
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Bring me sunshine: Shoppers back on high streets
Warmer weather drew shoppers back to Scotland’s high streets in April and helped retailers open more stores, pushing the vacancy rate further below the UK average.
Unsettling climate of EU disunity
IT WAS a week that epitomised Britain’s fractious and sometimes turbulent relationship with the European Union. In Washington, Prime Minister David Cameron was promoting free trade between the trading bloc and the United States, while at home his ministers and backbenchers were squabbling over whether Britain should cancel its membership.
1 commentMPC ‘still split’ over more QE
BANK of England policy-makers are likely to have remained divided this month on whether to pump more money into the economy.
Bill Jamieson: Finally, the recovery gains traction
WHAT now unites Alex Salmond, the CBI, Sir Mervyn King, the OECD and the Federation of Small Businesses? It’s the economy, stupid.
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Exporters seek ‘front line help’ from Osborne
GEORGE Osborne must use next month’s spending review to boost “front line” support for exporters, business chiefs have warned, after a major survey laid bare the pitfalls facing firms that trade overseas.
No place for ‘inflation nutters’ as economy battles for growth
Central bank policymakers should not be “inflation nutters” focused on a long-term target at the expense of economic recovery hopes, a top Bank of England official said yesterday.
Comment: Taxing questions for complicit governments
IS YOUR business guilty of “false delocalisation”? That’s the fancy EU jargon for the creative tax avoidance schemes engineered by multinational companies such as Google and Amazon.
1 commentEurozone misery as recession drags on
GERMANY’S economy crept back into growth in the opening months of the year but not by enough to stop the eurozone from contracting for a sixth straight quarter.
Mervyn King: ‘Inflation to stay stubborn to 2015’
INFLATION will remain stubbornly sticky until at least the end of 2015, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England cautioned yesterday, though the economy will experience a “modest and sustained” recovery.
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Scots economy begins ‘more robust recovery’
ACTIVITY among Scottish businesses rose at its fastest pace for 12 months during April, suggesting the economy is beginning a “more robust recovery”, the Bank of Scotland said today.
12 commentsSchaeuble against ECB buying asset-backed securities
GERMANY’S finance minister has signalled his opposition to any move by the European Central Bank (ECB) to buy asset-backed securities (ABS) to help indebted states, telling his party it would amount to “covert state financing”, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.
Help small firms win public contracts, urges Young
SMALL companies must be given a better chance of winning government contracts and more should be done to promote business support schemes, according to the Prime Minister’s adviser on enterprise.
UK’s vote on Europe ‘puts off investors’
PRESSURE to force a referendum on Europe is threatening Britain’s status as a safe bet for international investment, according to a key City figurehead.
4 commentsPlea for extra support for exporters as trade deficit edges lower
Business chiefs have called for urgent support for companies looking to enter new export markets in an effort to bolster the economic recovery.
BoE sits on hands amid recovery
Bank of England interest rate-setters yesterday held back from printing more emergency cash amid fresh signs of life in the economy.
Bill Jamieson: this is no normal recession
Had anyone suggested in May 2012 that within a year the US stock market would have climbed to record highs and that our own FTSE 100 would have gained almost 20 per cent, their sanity would have been questioned.
5 commentsProducers to pin export hopes on weak sterling
MANUFACTURERS hope that a weaker pound will give them an exports boost in the coming months despite output falling for the past 12 months.
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Shop inflation at new low as retailers cut prices
Shop price inflation fell to its lowest level for three and a half years during April as the squeeze on household finances forced retailers to offer more discounts in an effort to entice consumers to spend.
2 commentsScotland boasts lowest number of insolvencies
Fewer companies in Scotland are going bust in comparison with other parts of the UK, research out today would suggest.
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Bank of England likely to postpone further QE
Signs of a recovery in the economy and a recent revamp of a flagship lending scheme have reduced the likelihood of the Bank of England embarking on further fiscal stimulus this week.
3 commentsInvestors in US to buy into AG Barr
IRN-Bru maker AG Barr is tipped to become more popular with investors in the United States after Bank of New York Mellon launched a scheme making it easier for Americans to trade its stock.
1 commentHow to boost your chances of getting a mortgage
THE days of lying to obtain a mortgage are back as a growing number of borrowers and brokers respond to stricter lending criteria by filing false loan applications.
Crouching tiger, hidden charges: Investing costs
Good news for British investors as platforms move towards ‘clean’ charging structures, reports Jeff Salway
Economy: US jobs figures contrast with Europe
IMPROVEMENTS in the US jobs market have highlighted a sharp contrast in economic conditions on either side of the Atlantic.
2 commentsCentral bank policymakers take heart from service sector surge
PRESSURE on Bank of England policymakers to restart the money-printing presses has eased after Britain’s dominant services sector racked up its strongest growth since last summer’s Olympics.
ECB cuts rates to a record low
ECONOMISTS last night warned that the European Central Bank’s (ECB’s) decision to cut the eurozone’s interest rates is unlikely to stimulate bank lending to small firms.
Upbeat services PMI will make it three in a row
HOPES were high today that a key snapshot of Britain’s powerhouse services sector will provide a third shot in the arm for the economy.
1 commentBusiness lending continues to fall
Lending to businesses fell again in March, suggesting that Bank of England efforts to kick-start the market have yet to bear fruit.
Scottish Business Briefing – April 30th 2013
WELCOME to scotsman.com’s Scottish Business Briefing. Every morning we bring you a comprehensive round-up of all news affecting business in Scotland today.
Independence: CBI chief questions currency union
CBI director general John Cridland yesterday cast more doubt over the prospect of an independent Scotland sticking with the pound.
6 commentsEurope’s woes spark hunt for new markets
A DIP in Scotland’s food and drink exports last year blamed on the eurzone crisis is to lead to a greater focus on more promising markets.
Comment: Currency concerns require sterling effort
EARLIER this year, the CBI published an excellent paper on the issues that business would like the Scottish Government’s white paper on independence to address. Among them, the first concerned currency.
1 commentUS economy growth gathers pace
GROWTH in the US economy has gathered pace in a further positive sign after the UK avoided a triple-dip recession.
Triple dip recession avoided despite slow growth
CHANCELLOR George Osborne has declared that the economy is “healing” after better than expected growth figures confirmed that the UK has narrowly avoided a triple dip recession.
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Comment: Pension blow awaiting independent Scotland
There remain many questions to be answered in the case of a “yes” vote in 2014. But the one raised by Icas, the professional body for chartered accountants, is a cause for worry for employers both north and south of a more firmly drawn Border.
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Weather for Edinburgh
Saturday 25 May 2013
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