United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Real Gross Domestic Product
Gross Domestic Product, Chained, Quarterly Annualized Change, %, SA
Real Gross Domestic Product measures the change in the inflation-adjusted value of all goods and services produced in the economy. It comprises private consumption and investment, inventory buildup, government spending and net exports. Markets watch this indicator to gauge the strength and composition of growth.
United Kingdom
Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate, Aged 16 and Over, %, SA, Updates Monthly
The Unemployment Rate measures the percentage of the labor force currently not working but actively seeking employment. Markets monitor the unemployment rate to assess the cyclical health of the economy and the likelihood that wage demands may increase inflationary pressures.
United Kingdom
Claimant Count Change
Monthly Change in Unemployment Claims, Thousands, SA, Updates Monthly
The Claimant Count Change records the monthly difference in the number of people claiming unemployment‐related benefits. The series has been used as the main indicator of labour market conditions in the United Kingdom since the 1970’s and figures are derived from records of claimants held at Job Benefit Offices. ‘Claimants’ include the severely disabled claimants, but exclude students seeking vacation work and the temporarily stopped.
United Kingdom
Consumer Prices
Consumer Price Index, Annual Change, %, SA, Updates Monthly
The Consumer Price Index is a measure of the change over time in the average prices paid by consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. As the most widely used measure of inflation, changes in the index are closely followed by policymakers, financial markets, businesses, and consumers. The Office for National Statistics reports both an ‘All Items’ number that includes all categories in the calculation basket, and a ‘Core’ number that strips out highly volatile food, energy, alcohol, and tobacco prices.
United Kingdom
Trade Balance
Total Trade Balance, 12-month moving average, billions GBP, SA, updates monthly
Measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods and services over the reported period. A positive number indicates that more goods and services were exported than imported – generating a trade surplus – and a negative number indicates a deficit. Trade imbalances may reflect fleeting differences in growth rates or more permanent factors in the composition of growth or the endowment and price of natural resources.
United Kingdom
Policy Rate
Bank of England Bank Rate, %
The Bank Rate is an overnight interest rate that the Bank of England targets in order to influence monetary variables in the economy, including consumer prices, exchange rates, and credit growth. The Bank adjusts the target for the Bank Rate on eight fixed dates each year.
United Kingdom
Money Supply Growth
M4 Money Supply, Annual Change, %, SA
M4 Money Supply, sometimes known as a “broad money aggregate”, is a measure of outstanding currency that includes notes and coin, funds in bank accounts: sterling deposits, commercial papers, bonds, repo trades, estimated holdings of sterling bank bills and other categories. Markets don’t typically respond directly to reported changes in M4, but growth in the money supply can influence inflation, interest rates, and exchange rates over longer time horizons.
United Kingdom
Central Bank Assets
Total Assets, Millions GBP, Updates Monthly
The Bank of England’s assets consist primarily of government bonds, commercial paper and corporate bonds, foreign exchange reserves, reverse repurchase agreements, and other instruments. Its liabilities are mostly currency in circulation, commercial bank reserves, and collateralized reverse repurchase agreements. The balance sheet is used to influence interest rates – when officials want to stimulate the economy, it expands, and when they wish to tighten financial conditions, it shrinks.
United Kingdom
Debt Ratios
Credit to General Government, Non-Financial Corporate, and Household Sectors, % of Gross Domestic Product at Market Value, Updates Quarterly
Aggregate Debt Ratios measure the total borrowing of the general government, non-financial corporate, and household sectors, expressed as a share of gross domestic product. Total debt is followed by investors as a gauge of the vulnerability of an economy to financial shocks. An overly fast pace of debt growth is also frequently associated with a buildup of unproductive investment and excessively high asset valuations.
United Kingdom
Net International Investment Position
Net International Investment Position, Millions USD, Updates Annually
The Net International Investment Position is the difference between the external financial assets and liabilities of a nation. A nation with a positive position is a creditor nation and is generally considered a safe haven in financial markets. A nation with a negative position is a debtor nation, with deeper balance of payments vulnerabilities.
United Kingdom
Currency Reserves
Official Reserve Assets, Foreign Currency Reserves (in Convertible Foreign Currencies), Billions USD, Updates Monthly
Currency Reserves show external holdings that are freely usable for settlement of international transactions, and are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in currency markets to affect exchange rates, and for other related purposes. Developed markets with widely used, freely tradeable international currencies typically provide reserve assets rather than engaging in reserve accumulation.
Latest Analysis
Latest Analysis
Worries return
17 June, 2025
• Turnaround. Middle East concerns returned overnight. Oil rose, US equities & bond yields declined. USD firmer. AUD & NZD lost ground.• Fluid situation. More headline driven volatility looks likely...
Dollar's Decline Remains Intact Even As Risk Backdrop Worsens
17 June, 2025
The dollar is up slightly this morning, but remains on course toward its worst year-to-date performance in this century, even as geopolitical risks simmer in the background and the Federal Reserve grapples...
Upbeat vibes. Will it last?
16 June, 2025
• Improved vibes. Turnaround in markets overnight on reports Iran is looking to restart nuclear talks. Equities rose, oil prices eased. AUD & NZD rebounded.• Macro trends. Middle East situation remains...
Geopolitical Concerns Ease Ahead of Action-Packed Week
16 June, 2025
Measures of market stress are moderating ahead of a week crammed with a combustible array of potential volatility catalysts including an escalation in Middle East hostilities, three major central bank...
The fog of war
15 June, 2025
• Middle East conflict. Developments dampened sentiment. Oil prices spiked & equities slipped back. USD firmer. AUD & NZD lost some ground.• Volatility. Geopolitical tensions can generate more...
Israeli Attack on Iran Leaves Markets Rattled
13 June, 2025
Financial markets are suffering another round of tumult this morning after Israel launched dozens of air strikes against Iran, targeting its air defences, nuclear programme, and military leadership. As...
Volatility Surges as Israel Strikes Iran
12 June, 2025
The US dollar is surging against most of its major counterparts as Israel launches airstrikes on Iran, threatening to ignite a new war in the Middle East – still the origin of nearly a third of global...
Crosscurrents
11 June, 2025
• Mixed signals. Positive US CPI offset by lack of US/China trade progress. S&P500 dipped, as did bond yields. AUD & NZD also eased back.• Tariff impacts. Some signs of tariffs in US inflation....
Dollar Slips and Markets Rip Higher As Soft US Inflation Data Bolsters Rate Cut Bets
11 June, 2025
The US dollar is trading with a modestly weaker bias after fresh evidence that price pressures are moderating in the world’s largest economy reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve could begin...
Currencies Calm Even As Pound Slumps On Labour Market Cooling
10 June, 2025
The greenback is edging higher against most of its advanced-economy counterparts, but traders remain cautious as they await tomorrow’s inflation release, Thursday’s long-dated Treasury auction, and any...