Neil Macdonald

Unemployment is up; employment is down. The UK jobs market is not in great shape according to the latest official figures.

A government scheme to expand the amount of funding for childcare in England begins to roll out this week. Some working parents of 2-year olds are now able to access 15 hours of support. 

It’s another rollercoaster week for Donald Trump – who looks set to receive a multi-billion dollar windfall after his social media business launched on the US stock market today. The cash could be very handy for a man fighting both a presidential election and multiple legal cases.

A new report has said that the UK’s housing stock offers the worst value for money in any advanced economy.

“We’re not there yet” – the verdict today of Andrew Bailey as the Bank of England held interest rates at 5.25%. Despite that decision, there’s growing speculation that cuts will come this Summer. So no easing of the pressure from high interest rates yet, and stark evidence also released today showing more people falling into…

Is the fall in inflation a sign of the turning point in our economy which the government keeps talking about?

The UK’s economy returned to growth in January – with output expanding by 0.2%. So nowhere near a boom, but the figures do suggest the recession we entered at the end of last year may already be ending.

Councils in England will be given an emergency £500 million from the Government to tackle their funding crisis.

The price of oil initially jumped by over 3.5 percent, as did gold, as the markets feared the inflationary impact of a wider war. 

The National Living Wage is going up to £11.44 an hour, and the higher rate will apply to workers aged 21 and 22 for the first time.

Rishi Sunak has insisted he remains committed to his “levelling up” agenda – amid the growing row over the future of the HS2 high speed rail link to the North of England.

Inflation has fallen unexpectedly, raising hopes that financial pressure on families and businesses may be easing.

Today, the Chinese authorities cut interest rates in a bid to boost growth, but financial markets were surprised they didn’t do more.

The Bank of England has raised interest rates 13 times in the last 18 months – but today the financial regulator said big banks have failed to pass on those higher rates to their savers.

As the government struggles to find short term funding for more public sector pay, the long term outlook for the public finances has become more vulnerable, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.