According to the Lloyds TSB Business Unit the economy in Scotland is growing, albeit at a lower than hoped for rate.
Looking at the last three months almost 40 percent of businesses in Scotland reported that turnover was up, a third remained unchanged whilst 28 percent had seen a reduction. When combined these figures show a net gain of 11 percent – better than the quarter before but much less than the same time last year. A Lloyds TSB economist reported that Scottish businesses were expecting their figures to reduce in the next 6 months though their actual performance was better than the rest of the country.
Both manufacturing and service industries had enjoyed growth over the last quarter, which is a very healthy situation, though some business owners were telling the Lloyds TSB survey that they were beginning to notice the access to credit tightening up which could be a concern in the future.
The HSBC has been looking at the different university cities to see which ones will cost the most to live in.
Totally expected was the most expensive city which is London, where the average rent for student accommodation exceeds GBP100 per week. It proved to be miles ahead of any other city in the country, with the next closest being Plymouth, with an average weekly rent of GBP63. A spokeswoman from HSBC reminded students that living costs can make a massive difference to managing as a student, and with rent such an integral part of student life it is important not to get in to an agreement that is too costly to manage.
Other cities in the list included Birmingham and Nottingham, where rents averaged GBP60, and Leeds, Manchester and Preston, with average rents of GBP50. To help manage finances the HSBC offers a student account with credit card and interest free overdraft.
The May Fundamentals report produced by Legal and General suggests that the economic outlook for the UK is a negative one.
There are some positive factors said the Legal and General, such as low unemployment, the weaker pond helping exports and the fact that consumer spending is still active. However they see more negative elements than positive ones which leads them to rating the economic forecast as poor.
Key pointers include the much more difficult lending conditions facing borrowers, higher levels of debt and also a rate of inflation that is rising much too quickly. All in all the Legal and General view is that, unless changes are seen in this factors the UK economy could face real difficulties.
