Hints and tips:
...It was the biggest monthly increase since April 2021, the ONS said, taking volumes back to the level of November 2023....
...“Price pressures in the UK economy are clearly easing faster than expected,” said Thomas Pugh, an economist at consultancy RSM UK....
...A big drop in energy bills due in April was “likely to drag inflation noticeably lower by the spring”, he added....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at audit firm RSM UK, said the uptick in consumer prices, together with the rise in services price growth, would “probably be enough to quash any temptations at the MPC to start to...
...Thomas Pugh, UK economist at the audit firm RSM, said the recent experience in the US proved that “inflation can fall rapidly without a recession, or even a sharp reduction in growth”....
...“While the labour market is now easing, it’s not loosening quickly enough for the Monetary Policy Committee to be comfortable,” said Thomas Pugh, economist at the consulting firm RSM UK....
...May also saw a return to growth for fuel sales after a dip in April....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at the audit firm RSM UK, said the figures left the door “open wide to another rate hike in June” as the labour market was not easing fast enough for the monetary policy committee’...
...In early April, the suit was back. My first sight of it was hanging on a rail alongside other finished outfits waiting to be collected....
...Despite this, “there are reasons to be a bit more optimistic looking forward [as] consumer confidence took a sharp upswing in April”, said Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK....
...Net borrowing of mortgage debt was at its lowest level since April 2016, excluding the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, said “the squeeze on household real incomes will intensify over the next six months, as rising interest rates combine with high inflation”....
...The decline in borrowing “suggests that after a period of resilience, consumer spending may have weakened at the end of the year”, said Thomas Pugh, economist at consulting company RSM UK....
...Thomas Pugh: Significant reform of the planning system....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at the consultancy RSM UK, said the government’s new focus on fiscal discipline increased the risks of a deeper recession and suggested “that along with a cost of living crisis and...
...“The big picture is that the economy could be just 1 per cent larger in 2023 than it was in 2019, before the pandemic,” said Pugh....
...Thomas Pugh, of business advisory firm RSM UK, said that the flow of recent negative data pointed to an economic contraction in May, continuing the lack of growth seen since January....
...“We expect the MPC to tread cautiously,” said Thomas Pugh, economist at leading audit, tax and consultants RSM UK....
...a clear sign that the economy looks set to worsen after contracting by 0.1 per cent in March and increases the chances of a bigger fall in the second quarter and of a recession this year”, said Thomas Pugh...
...Thomas Pugh, economist at the consultancy RSM, said the retail data were the first official sign of the toll of high inflation on consumer spending and the economy....
...“The big picture is that the economy may be only fractionally larger this time next year than it was before the pandemic,” said Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, a tax and consulting firm....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at the consultancy RSM UK, raised the possibility of the economy falling into a recession — defined as two consecutive quarters of contraction....
...Thomas Pugh, economist at financial services company RSM UK, said that “once we factor in the impact of higher gas prices, tighter financial conditions and lower business and consumer confidence, we think...
...“Inflation in the UK will now probably rise beyond the 7.5 per cent peak we had expected in April and will remain higher for longer....
...Rising oil and gas prices “will exacerbate the cost of living crisis and depress gross domestic product growth”, echoed Thomas Pugh, economist at RSM UK, a business advisory company....
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