COVID-19 has reinforced the dividing line between the developed and developing worlds. Recovery in developed countries, with high vaccination rates and generous fiscal stimuli, is impressive. But the situation is the opposite in developing nations. The future is as unpredictable as the virus, but experts are forecasting what may happen.
The pandemic has helped to fuel an increase in fraudulent activity, with more people engaging and transacting with organisations online. In the banking industry this has been borne out by figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which has found a 68 per cent increase in remote banking fraud in 2020.
Spring is in the air, and so is price inflation in the UK, which saw its inflation rate rise sharply in April. Leading the way were prices for energy, utilities and clothing, primarily due to the lifting of COVID-related restrictions. As the rate closes in on the BoC’s target of 2 percent, will this upward trend be permanent or transitory?
The UK’s economy showed promising signs of recovery during the fourth quarter of 2020 but not enough to compensate for a dismal year, which, with its annual 9.9-percent contraction, broke a 300-year record and clocked in among the G7’s worst economic performances. Although 2021 is getting off to a slow start with new lockdown measures, increased vaccination and more consumer spending may fuel a vigorous rebound later in the year.
Although coronavirus restrictions have continued to be lifted, unemployment in the United Kingdom in the three months to July still increased, official data published on Tuesday, September 15, showed. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the unemployment rate was estimated at 4.1 percent
The United Kingdom’s annual inflation rate fell sharply in August to its lowest level in almost five years, as the government’s Eat Out to Help Out discount-meal scheme contributed significantly towards driving down the cost of living. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday, September 16,
According to figures released on Friday, September 11, by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the United Kingdom’s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 6.6 percent during July, as lockdown measures in the country continued to ease and the economy showed clearer signs of recovery.
Voters in the United Kingdom handed Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party a resounding victory via the recent election. Apparently believing that his plan would be the best horse to ride out of the Brexit quagmire in which the nation finds itself, Johnson has a strong mandate to meet successfully the 2020 deadlines: EU exit in January and EU trade deal by year’s end. Can he do it?
Misgivings about the ultimate outcome of Brexit have delivered a blow to the UK’s once-hot housing market. Buyers are reluctant to buy, and sellers are hesitant to sell—until there is more clarity on Brexit. House prices are trending lower, with few exceptions. As October 31, the new Brexit deadline, draws nearer, house buyers and sellers will watch developments closely and hope for a final resolution.