LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – UK retail sales fell in October
as shoppers bought less food and clothing, puncturing a consumer
spending revival that policymakers hoped would kick-start the
economy heading into 2013.

Sales volumes fell 0.8 percent on the month for an annual
rise of just 0.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics
said on Thursday. Both numbers were the weakest since April and
much worse than forecast, and sent sterling lower against the
dollar and the euro.

LONDON (Reuters) – British retail sales posted a surprise fall in October as shoppers cut back on food and clothing purchases, reducing the chances consumers will boost the economy in the final quarter.

Sales volumes including automotive fuel fell 0.8 percent on the month to give an annual rise of 0.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday. Both numbers were the weakest since April and worse than economists’ consensus forecasts.

LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – British retail sales posted a
surprise fall in October as shoppers cut back on food and
clothing purchases, reducing the chances consumers will boost
the economy in the final quarter.

Sales volumes including automotive fuel fell 0.8 percent on
the month to give an annual rise of 0.6 percent, the Office for
National Statistics said on Thursday. Both numbers were the
weakest since April and worse than economists’ consensus
forecasts.

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Bank of England Governor Mervyn
King will face tough questions on surging inflation, the bank’s
stimulus policy and even its independence when he presents its
latest economic forecasts on Wednesday.

Economists surveyed by Reuters expect the BoE to leave its
medium-term forecast largely unchanged, showing annual growth of
2.0 percent and inflation at 1.8 percent at the end of 2014 -
below its 2 percent target – giving it leeway for more action.

LONDON (Reuters) – Inflation hit a five-month high in October after a rise in university fees and food prices, making it less likely the Bank of England will flag more stimulus when it presents new forecasts on Wednesday.

The jump in consumer price inflation to 2.7 percent from 2.2 percent in September – the biggest increase in more than a year – also puts in doubt a much hoped-for revival of consumer spending because wages are rising at a much slower pace.

LONDON (Reuters) – British inflation hit a five-month high in October after a rise in university fees and food prices, dampening the chances that the Bank of England will flag more stimulus when it presents new forecasts on Wednesday.

Annual consumer price inflation jumped to 2.7 percent from 2.2 percent in September – the biggest increase in more than a year – the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) – British inflation hit a five-month high in October after a rise in university fees and food prices, dampening the chances that the Bank of England will flag more stimulus when it presents new forecasts on Wednesday.

Annual consumer price inflation jumped to 2.7 percent from 2.2 percent in September – the biggest increase in more than a year – the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of England Governor Mervyn King will have a new set of questions to deal with on Wednesday beyond the usual ones about the fragile economy: just how independent is the Bank?

The issue has risen after last week’s decision by the government to take profits from the Bank’s bond buys and put them in the finance ministry coffers.

LONDON, Nov 12 (Reuters) – Bank of England Governor Mervyn
King will have a new set of questions to deal with on Wednesday
beyond the usual ones about the fragile economy: just how
independent is the Bank?

The issue has risen after last week’s decision by the
government to take profits from the Bank’s bond buys and put
them in the finance ministry coffers.

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s cash-strapped government said on Friday it would grab an expected 35 billion pound ($55.9 billion) windfall from the Bank of England’s bond-buying program to reduce short-term borrowing.

BoE Governor Mervyn King said the move equated to a modest loosening of monetary policy, potentially giving a boost to the stagnant economy, and economists said it may help finance minister George Osborne meet his debt reduction targets.