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
Rally Fades As Uncertainties Remain
28 May, 2025
Traders are trimming risk after yesterday’s relief rally took market valuations a little too far. A rebound across Treasuries, equity indices, and the US dollar – initially driven by the Trump administration’s...
Tumult Fades As Intense Trading Week Begins
27 May, 2025
Measures of risk appetite are improving this morning amid signs of an easing in last week’s bond market tantrum, and following a brief escalation in cross-Atlantic trade tensions. Equity markets are setting...
Tariff sabre rattling
25 May, 2025
• Tariff news. Threats of increased US tariffs on the EU rattled nerves on Friday. US President Trump pushed out the deadline this morning.• FX trends. US growth challenges & policy uncertainty weighs...
Yields Push Higher as Debt Worries Intensify
22 May, 2025
Treasury markets are extending their losses this morning on worries that funding strains could reach unsustainable levels after the House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump’s broad-reaching...
Dollar Retreats As Market Momentum Slows
21 May, 2025
The ‘Sell America’ trade is back in play this morning. The dollar is unwinding last week’s gains and is down against all of its major counterparts, US equity markets are setting up for a bruising open,...
Markets Retreat on Signs of Consumer Strain
15 May, 2025
The dollar is retreating as optimism surrounding the weekend’s trade deal continues to diminish and US consumers show signs of exhaustion, leaving investors to contemplate longer-term risks to the American...
‘Mar A Lago Accord’ Fears Unnerve Dollar Bulls
14 May, 2025
The dollar is extending its losses this morning, following reports that the United States and South Korea held talks on Seoul’s foreign exchange policies in early May – a development that may signal a...
Economic Scepticism and Soft Inflation Weigh on Dollar
13 May, 2025
Euphoria surrounding the weekend’s US-China tariff climbdown is fading this morning, and the dollar is retreating in the face of a third consecutive monthly undershoot in inflation data. Treasury yields...
US-China Trade Ceasefire Boosts Global Asset Prices
12 May, 2025
A palpable sense of relief is washing over global markets after the US and China agreed to temporarily cut most tariffs on each other’s goods ahead of further trade negotiations. North American equity...
Words vs actions
11 May, 2025
• Positive talks. Constructive talks between US/China over the weekend. But a deal may take some time. This may temper the markets excitement.• Market trends. Equity futures have opened positively. USD...