Food And Fuel Reduce CPI

CPI grew from 1.2% in the year to September to 1.3% in the year to October according to a statistical bulletin from the ONS. So goods that cost £100 last October cost £101.3 this October.

The main contributors to the rise in inflation were smaller falls in the costs for motor fuels and air fares and price rises for computer games.

The three main contributors to annual inflation over the last five years have been housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and restaurants and hotels. Together these three sectors have accounted for nearly half of inflation each month. Food and fuel prices which normally contribute to rises in annual inflation have been helping to reduce it by 0.3%.

Manufacturing Helps Index To Grow By 3%

Output increased by 3% over the year between April 2013 and April 2014 according to a statistical bulletin released by the ONS. All the main sectors increased over the year except electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning. Manufacturing increased by 4.4%.

The main components that contributed to the increase in the manufacturing production index were rubber, plastic and other non-metallic mineral products, transport equipment and food, beverages and tobacco.

The monthly comparison shows that production increased by 0.4% between March 2014 and April 2014. Output dipped in two sectors and the largest contributor to this was mining and quarrying with -1.1% then water supply, sewerage and waste management with -0.7%. Manufacturing increased over the month by 0.4% due to increases in transport equipment, computer electronic and optical products and rubber, plastic and other non-metallic mineral products.

Production Output Up By 0.7%

Production increased by 0.7% between Q4 2013 and Q1 2014 according to statistics from the ONS. The largest contribution to the growth in production came from manufacturing which increased by 1.4%.

Over the year between March 2013 and March 2014 output increased by 2.3%. The main contributors to the growth were manufacturing 3.3%, water supply, sewerage and waste management 12.1% and mining and quarrying with 3.1%.

Between February 2014 and March 2014 production output decreased by 0.1% with decreases in two of the main sectors: mining and quarrying with a decrease of 2.8% and water supply, sewerage and waste management with 2.1%.

Manufacturing and the production of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning increased by 0.5% over the month between February and March 2014 whereas the production of electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning was the only sector to report a decrease over the year from March to March.

Output Increase Of 2.7%

There were increases in production output of 3.8% in manufacturing, 8.5% in water and waste management and 0.2% in mining and quarrying which contributed to the increase of 2.7% in total production output over the year between February 2013 and February 2014. Only electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning reported a decrease of 8.8% due it was thought to this year's warmer February.

The main manufacturing sectors that added to the increase over the year were rubber and plastic products, transport equipment and machinery.

Total production over the month between January and February 2014 increased by 0.9% mainly due to increases in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, transport equipment and food, drink and tobacco.

Manufacturing Leads Growth In Production

Manufacturing made by far the biggest contribution to the overall production output increase of 0.5% with growth of 0.7% between Q3 and Q4 2013 according to data from the ONS.

The annual comparison shows that production output was 1.8% higher in December 2013 than in December 2012. When this is broken down into industry sectors manufacturing rose by 1.5%, mining and quarrying by 2.6% and water services by 7.9%. These rises were offset by a fall of 3% in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning.

Between November 2013 and December 2013 production rose by 0.4% and manufacturing by 0.3%. The manufacture of basic pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical preparations, coke and refined petroleum products and the manufacture of food products, beverages and tobacco were mainly responsible for the rise.

The figures are seasonally adjusted.

Industrial Output Increase Over Quarter

Industrial production output increased by 0.6% between Q2 and Q3 2013 according to a statistical bulletin from the ONS. The largest contribution to the overall figure came from manufacturing with an increase of 0.9% similar to that in Q2 2013.

Over the year production was 2.2% up in September 2013. The contribution of mining and quarrying was an increase in output of 11.5%, manufacturing a rise of 0.8%, a rise in water supply, sewerage and waste management of 7.1%. Electricity, gas, steam and air output fell by 3.4%.

The monthly comparison shows that production and manufacturing increased their output by 0.9% and 1.2% respectively between August and September 2013.

Industrial Output Falls By 1.5%

Industrial output decreased by 1.5% between August 2012 and 2013 and reflects a 0.2% fall in manufacturing, 10.2% in mining and quarrying and 3.5% in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning according to the ONS.

A large upward contribution came from transport equipment manufacturing with an increase of 12.5% mainly from the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers.

The monthly comparison shows a decrease of 1.1% between July and August 2013. All four sectors fell with the biggest falls in manufacturing at 1.2%.

Durables Maintaining Growth Trends

Motor vehicles in particular have continued the growth trends in consumer goods in the first quarter of 2013 according to the ONS. The latest Consumer Trends statistical bulletin suggests that purchases of cars and household appliances has continued to gain in strength as spending on cars increased by 3.1% in terms of volume and on durables by 2.1%. Spending on major household appliances increased by 5.7%.

Household spending grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of this year due mainly to growth in spending on housing, water, gas elecytricity and other fuels. Households spent 0.3% more in volume terms well below the peak of Q4 2007 but 3.4% more than the recent low of Q2 2009. Current price spending was 17.6% higher than Q2 2009.

Household spending per head in current price terms increased by 0.8% to £3993, £340 more than in Q4 2007.

Mining Increases Production In March

Production output increased by 0.2% between Q4 2012 and Q1 2013 according to the ONS. Manufacturing fell by 0.3% over the same period.

The increase in overall production was mainly due to an increase of 4% from mining and quarrying. The increase from the mining and quarrying sector follows the reduced output of Q4 caused by maintenance work in the North Sea. The index covers 15.6% of GDP, services covers 77% and construction 6.8% with the other 0.6% being accounted for by agriculture.

The monthly comparison shows that between February and March 2013 production rose by 0.7%. Manufacturing output increased by 1.1% and the coldest March since 1962 helped to increase demand for the output of the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning sub-sector by 2.4%.

CPI Down To 2.5% In August

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell to 2.5% in August 2012 from 2.6% in July according to a statistical bulletin from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The main pressure pushing the index down came from furniture, household equipment & maintenance, housing & household services (particularly domestic gas) and clothing & footwear. The downward pressure from these sectors was partially offset by upward pressure from transport (particularly motor fuels).

1% Fall In Production

Production fell by 1% over the year to April 2012 according to figures on the Index of Production from the ONS. Manufacturing fell by 0.3%. Production remained unchanged over the month March to April but manufacturing fell 0.7% over that period.

In more detail, the electricity, gas, steam & air conditioning sector rose by 13.6%, mining & quarrying fell by 5.7% which together with the fall in manufacturing offset the gains slightly. The water and waste management sector was unchanged. The food sector also fell by 5.7% over the year, chemical products fell by 0.9%.

Some sectors grew, electrical equipment grew by 16.5%, transport equipment by 8.8%, machinery and equipment by 6.4% and computer, electronic and optical by 6.2% over the year. The computing sector also saw the biggest growth over the month with an increase of 8.1% while pharmaceuticals fell by 6%.

Inflation Stands At 3.4%

CPI inflation stands at 121.8 or a percentage change of 3.4% in February 2012 according to a statistical bulletin from the ONS. RPI inflation stands at 3.7%. The annual rate is the lowest since November 2010.

The biggest downward pressure on the CPI came from domestic electricity and gas, recreation and culture and transport. The biggest upward pressure came from alcohol off sales and vegetables.

On the monthly comparison the CPI rose by 0.6% between January and February 2012 compared with 0.7 a year ago. The biggest upward pressure on the monthly comparisdon came from clothing and footwear, food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport and furniture. The biggest downward pressure came from housing and household services.

GDP Down By 0.2%

The preliminary estimates for GDP suggest that GDP decreased by 0.2% in Q4 2011. Production output decreased by 1.2% after a 0.3% increase in the previous quarter. Services were unchanged whereas they increased 0.7% in the previous quarter. The construction sector decreased by 0.5%.

The biggest single contributor to the decline in the production industries came from manufacturing followed by electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning.

Inflation Down To 4.2% In December

CPI annual inflation for Decmber 2011 stood at 4.2%, down from 4.8% in November. The biggest downward pressure came from petrol, gas and clothing. Upward pressure came mainly from landline and mobile telephone charges.

RPI stood at 4.8%, down from 5.2% in November. The main pressures on the RPI came from the same sectors as affected the CPI with upward pressure also coming from car insurance. Data from ONS.

CPI Highest Ever

CPI annual inflation reached 5.2% in September 2011 up from 4.5% in August according to the ONS. It is the highest CPI inflation has ever been since records began in January 1997. It was also 5.2% in September 2008. RPI, an alternative measure of inflation reached 5.6%.

The biggest upward pressure came from increases in prices for energy products gas and electricity. Upward pressure also came from air transport and communications services. Clothing contributed the main downward pressure.

Housing and household services increased by 8.6% compared with 5.1% last month. Restaurants and hotels annual rate was 4.7% compared with 4.6% last month. It is the highest ever for the sector.

Manufacturing Up But Fall In Overall Production

The latest Index of Production (IOP), recently published by the ONS, fell by 1.0 per cent in August 2011 compared to August 2010. The Index of Manufacturing, within the IOP, rose by 1.5 per cent in August 2011 compared to August 2010. Production between July and August rose by 0.2 per cent, with manufacturing falling by 0.3 per cent. This months release was the first to be based on the new UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC).

Sector C, the manufacturing sector, contributed the largest percentage of production with 66.6%. The 1.5% increase was due to a 4.8% increase in the production of food, beverages and tobacco. Over the month food, beveages and tobacco increased by 1% with alcoholic beverages contributing a 2.9% rise. Mining and quarrying (Sector B), contributed 16.4%. Sector D, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning contributed 9.3%.

Natural Resources And Environmental Accounts

The ONS recently published the UK's environmental accounts for 2011 and they are described as satellite accounts to the main national accounts. They provide information on a wide range of things to do with atmospheric emissions, natural resources such as lands cover, oil and gas reserves, forestry, trade in basic materials, physical flows and monetary accounts related to the industrial, commercial and domestic sectors.

The effects of our activity on the environment have been an important policy issue for the last 40-50 years. There is growing concern about the impact of economic activity on both the global and local environment and also recognition that economic growth and human welfare depend on the enviroment. Raw materials and energy for goods and services, the absorption of waste, basic life support roles and amenities such as landscape are all services provided by the environment.

Environmental accounts provide data on the impact of economic activity on the environment, resource use and the taxes and subsidies associted with them and are sepearated into three dimensions: natural resources, physical flows and monetary. Natural resources accounts include oil and gas reserves, land cover and forestry.

Proven oil reserves at the end of 2009 were 378m tonnes. There has been a transfer of 38m tonnes from probable to proven reserves. Maximum oil reserves (proven, probable and possible) decreased by 19m tonnes to 1,111m tonnes in 2009. There are estimated to be hundreds of millions of tonnes of undiscovered recoverable oil reserves. Oil and gas reserves were worth an estimated value of £182.4bn in 2009, down 1.9% since 2008.

Total land cover in Great Britain is 22.6m hectares. Various types of grassland are the habitats that have increased between 1998 and 2007. Changes have also taken place in woodlands which have increased, arable and horticulture, which have decreased and bracken broad habitat which has also decreased.

The total area covered by woodland was 3.1m hectares or 12.7% of UK land area and is the highest since records began. The woodland area at the end of 2010 is 2.5 times tha area covered in 1924 (when records began). The area of new planting and restocking in 2010-11 was 22,700 hectares. Broadleaved species important for the expansion of the area of native woodland was 82% of new planting but only 27% of restocking.

There was an 8.4% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in 2009 compared with 2008 bringing the total down by 58.1m tonnes to 636m tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Material productivity is used to assess progress towards sustainable development by dividing GDP by Domestic Material Consumption (DMC). The environmental accounts show that between 1990 and 2009 material productivity increrased and the trend indicates that material use is falling in relation to economic activity and supports evidence that suggests that economic growth has decoupled from material use since 1990. Some of the environmental impacts associated with consumption may have been transferred abroad because the level of imports has generally risen over that period.

CPI At 4.5% In April

CPI annual inflation in April stands at 4.5% up from 4% in March. The most significant contributions to the increase were air transport, alcohol and tobacco and gas. Downward pressure came from petrol and diesel, miscellaneous goods and services, clothing and footwear and communication. The RPI index recorded an annual inflaton rate of 5.2% down from 5.3% in March.

Manufacturing Increases 5.8%

Production increased by 3.3% in October according to the index of production from the ONS. Manufacturing increased by 5.8%. The main contributors to the increase in the manufacturing index were an increase of 1.4% in machinery and equipment and 1.3% from basic metals and metal products. Capital goods increased by 8.4% and intermediate goods and energy by 1.2%. Mining and quarrying fell by 7.2%, oil and gas extraction alone by 8%. Electricity, gas and water supply increased by 0.7%. Consumer durables fell by 5.2% while non-durables increased by 4.3%.

Annual Business Survey 2009

Provisional results for the annual business inquiry now called the annual business survey show decreases in all four main industry groups: production, construction, distribution and services in turnover, purchases and gross value added (GVA) at basic prices. Agriculture also reported decreases in turnover, purchases and GVA at basic prices.

Production decreased 8.1% in turnover, 8.9% in purchases and 10.2% in GVA. Within the production group mining and quarrying fell by 24.6% in turnover and 37.5% in GVA. Production did report some increases most notably in electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning with 8.4% in turnover and 32.1% in GVA. Manufacturing reported decreases of 9.1% in turnover, 10.9% in purchases and 11.2% in GVA. The construction industries reported the largest percentage falls with -13.7% in turnover, -15.1% in purchases and -20.3% in GVA.

Distribution reported the largest decreases in money terms with a decrease of £60bn in turnover (-4.9%), £58bn (-5.5%) in purchases and £17bn (-4.6%) in GVA. While the financial differences were the largest the percentage changes were not. Only services had a smaller percentage change. The only increases in the distribution industries was in retail (except motor vehicles and motorcycles) increasing turnover by 0.3% and GVA by 1.8%.