News And Announcements
London job vacancies suffer hardest fall among EU capital cities
London has suffered the biggest fall in job opportunities among Europe’s biggest cities, according to a report by Indeed that showed the effect of Covid-19 on capitals across the region.
Confidence in UK house market cools - Halifax
Confidence in the UK's booming house market showed signs of cooling last month, according to research published by Halifax on Monday.
Mortgage approvals surge to 13-year high
Mortgage approvals surged to a 13-year high in October, underpinned by pent-up demand and the stamp duty holiday, official data showed on Monday.
UK Black Friday online sales expected to beat record
Internet industry body IMRG said that the online sales for this year’s Black Friday are expected to reach an all-time high.
Lockdowns hit sentiment in services sector - survey
Optimism across the service sector tumbled in the last three months, hit by a resurgence in Covid-19 infections and fresh lockdown measures, a closely-watched survey showed on Friday.
Germany to ask EU to close ski resorts
Germany is to push for ski resorts across Europe to stay closed until January, it was reported on Thursday.
Swathes of England face strictest Covid restrictions
London escaped the most stringent of post-lockdown Covid-19 restrictions but Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle are among areas faced with strict measures in the runup to Christmas.
German confidence falters on fresh round of lockdown restrictions
German consumer sentiment is forecast to tumble in December after lockdown measures introduced to tackle a resurgence in Covid-19 cases dented confidence.
UK car production falls as Covid-19. hits exports
UK car production fell 18% in October as Covid-19 and fresh lockdowns reduced demand in important markets, industry figures showed.
UK economy to shrink more than 11% this year, says Sunak
The UK economy is forecast to contract by a historic 11. 3% this year as government borrowing nears £400bn, the chancellor Rishi Sunak warned on Wednesday.
Brexit deal impossible to call, Brussels warns
The president of the European commission said she could not predict whether the EU would strike a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK with little more than a month until the deadline.
SMMT warns of 'severe' blow to UK auto industry from no-deal Brexit
Britain and Europe's automobile industry could yet be dealt another severe blow if Brussels and London cannot reach a Brexit deal and weaken the sector's ability to keep pace with the revolution towards green technology, the country's lobby group for the sector said.
UK retail sales fall in November amid second lockdown - CBI
UK retail sales fell in November amid the second lockdown but sales are expected to stabilise once restrictions are eased, according to the latest survey from the Confederation of British Industry.
German Ifo index falls again in November
German business sentiment deteriorated in November for the second month in a row, dented by the second Covid-19 wave, according to a survey released by the Ifo Institute on Tuesday.
Strong consumer spending sees German economy rebound in Q3
Germany’s economy rebounded strongly in the third quarter, official data showed on Tuesday, after lockdown restrictions were eased and consumer spending surged.
UK government to double subsidies for renewable energy in 2021
The UK government plans to double the amount of green energy it will subsidise in 2021 as it agrees to include onshore power projects.
JP Morgan most positive on dividend restarts at NatWest Group and Barclays
Analysts at JP Morgan sounded a particularly positive note on the outlook for Barclays and NatWest Group after Bloomberg reported at the weekend that the Prudential Regulatory Authority would consider easing their resistance to dividend payouts from UK lenders on a case-by-case basis.
Second national lockdown hits household finances - survey
Household finances deteriorated in November, research showed on Monday, as ongoing lockdown restrictions across the UK continued to hit home.
National lockdown hits service sector output
Private sector output contracted sharply in November as the second national lockdown shuttered the leisure and hospitality sectors, research showed on Monday.
Retail footfall down more than 50% on prior year, up week-on-week
Footfall across UK retail destinations was fell 55. 4% year-on-year in the week ended 21 November, with regional city centres continuing to be hardest hit.