The manufacturing sector does not form a large part of the British economy. Nor has there been much of a rebalancing towards it in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Nonetheless, it does play quite a significant role in terms of economic development and economists pay a lot of attention to the statistics relating to its progress. (more…)

After many British consumers experienced a difficult year during 2011, research has shown that the gloomy trend has persisted into 2012. (more…)

During earlier phases of the Euro crisis, there has been a tendency to lump some of the struggling economies together. The depth of the problems affecting Greece ensured that people often looked at it as an individual case, but there were some commentators who seemed to think of Spain, Portugal and Italy as members of a group. (more…)

The European Commission has stated that it is concerned about potential economic stagnation. Officials have noted that a lack of growth is making it hard for member states to create jobs. In addition, the crisis of the Euro is being drawn out by the stuttering of several economies. However, the option of (more…)

The World Economic Forum met in Davos during late January. Major politicians and business leaders discussed some of the problems facing the global economy. Big speeches were made and ideas were exchanged. However, those observers hoping for an indication of the way (more…)

Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Monti is in a difficult position. Some feel he lacks democratic legitimacy and is having to impose a variety of measures which may prove unpopular with the Italian electorate. (more…)

Recently, the British Chambers of Commerce has conducted research into the fragile state of the UK economy. It found that there was a strong possibility that the economy would not grow during the first quarter of the year. (more…)

The leaders of the two largest economies in the Eurozone have been meeting regularly in an effort to come up with joint positions in advance of summits at which the representatives of more European countries are invited. (more…)

When the United States lost its top credit rating last summer, there were fears that the lack of consensus at the top of American politics would lead to paralysis which could worsen international economic prospects. (more…)

When something happens in the international economy it is often unclear what it means. For example, a recent French sale of government bonds was interpreted in various ways. Bonds worth nearly 8 billion euros were sold in January, but the interest rate at (more…)