U.K. retail sales plunged in March as snow and freezing temperatures kept consumers indoors and disrupted deliveries of stock. The volume of goods sold in stores and online declined 1.2 percent, double the drop predicted by economists, figures from the Office for National Statistics Thursday show. Sales excluding auto fuel fell 0.5 percent, also more than forecast. Travel chaos paralyzed Britain from late February when the Beast from the East and then Storm Emma brought sub-zero temperatures and blizzard-like conditions to much of the country. Another blast swept in around the middle of...
Australian employment rose less than forecast in March and the previous months gain was revised to a decline, suggesting the central bank will keep interest rates on hold. Jobs rose 4,900 from February, when they dropped by a revised 6,300;economists forecast 20,000 gain for March. Unemployment rate was 5.5%; estimate 5.5%. Full-time jobs fell 19,900; part-time employment climbed 24,800. Participation rate fell to 65.5% from revised 65.6%; economists predicted 65.7%. Aussie dollar fell to 77.79 U.S. cents at 11:35 a.m. in Sydney from 77.96 cents pre-data. Source :...
U.K. inflation slowed to the weakest level in a year in March as the Bank of England prepares to lift interest rates next month. Consumer prices rose 2.5 percent from a year earlier, down from 2.7 percent in February, the Office for National Statistics said on Wednesday. Thats less than economists estimated. Core inflation cooled to 2.3 percent, also the lowest rate in a year. The figures may weaken the case for more BOE interest-rate increases later this year. Policy makers are widely expected to raise the benchmark for a second time in six months at their May meeting as price gains...
Housing starts ran at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.32 million in March, up 2% compared to February, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Permits were at a seasonally adjusted annual 1.35 million rate. Builders broke ground on more homes in March, and earlier estimates were revised up handily, suggesting more momentum in the home construction industry than had been seen. The 1.32 million pace of starts beat the forecast from MarketWatch's survey of economists, for a 1.255 million pace. Starts were 10.9% higher than in the same period a year ago. And permits, which foreshadow...
U.K. wages are rising at their fastest pace in almost three years, raising the prospect of an end to the squeeze on living standards. Annual pay growth excluding bonuses accelerated to 2.8 percent in the three months through February, the Office for National Statistics said Tuesday. Consumer-price inflation averaged 2.9 percent in the same period and is forecast to fall toward 2 percent this year. The figures may reinforce speculation that the Bank of England will raise interest rates again next month, despite the economy being disrupted by bad weather in the first...
China economic expansion held up amid robust consumer spending, underpinning global growth and giving authorities more room to purge excessive borrowing. Gross domestic product increased 6.8 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, matching the pace from the previous quarter as projected in a Bloomberg survey. Retail sales increased 10.1 percent in March from a year earlier, compared with a 9.7 percent forecast. Industrial production rose 6.0 percent last month, versus a projected 6.3 percent. Fixed-asset investment climbed 7.5...
Australian retail sales rose in February, led by a rebound in department store sales following several poor months.
Retail sales rose by 0.6% in February from a month earlier, the Australian Bureau...
Sales at U.S. retailers rose 0.6% in March to end a streak of three straight declines, underscoring the improved financial picture of U.S. households and the resiliency of an economic expansion that...
U.K. inflation slowed to the weakest level in a year in March as the Bank of England prepares to lift interest rates next month.
Consumer prices rose 2.5 percent from a year earlier, down from 2.7...