As 2013 draws to a close, can we look forward to a more prosperous New Year? This time last year the talk was of an historic triple-dip recession. That did not happen and virtually all current indicators provide a more positive outlook for 2014. The easiest job at the moment must be George Osborne’s script-writer ‘..unemployment down, employment up, inflation down, confidence up, a recovery in the housing market..’ just for starters. Looking forward, the magic number for 2014 is 2.4%, with the CBI, the OBR and OECD all expecting this level of growth, and with the IMF forecast a...
More good news for the Chancellor and Governor of the Bank of England this week as the downward trend in inflation continued. November’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 2.1% in the year to November, down from 2.2% in October – just 0.1% off target.
With interest rates at an all time low, and with QE having run out of steam, it looks like conventional monetary policy is, as least for now, a dead duck. Low interest rates and quantitative easing were supposed to be sufficient to lift the UK economy out of the doldrums and into growth, increased private investment and rapid job creation - so much for the textbooks.
Today the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced the results of the recentSpending Roundfor the financial year beginning April 2015 - just one month before the next General Election. In effect this sets the departmental budgets for the incoming government.
