http://www.ft.com/world/uk/economyhttp://www.ft.com/rss/world/uk/economyFT.com - UK Economy newsen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.support@ft.comFri, 4 Jul 2008 23:17 BSTSat, 05 Jul 2008 13:16:20 BSTNewspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/world/uk/economy(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/083bf294-4a02-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/083bf294-4a02-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlEconomists may still be debating whether the UK will endure a full-blown recession but this week made it pretty clear what the majority of investors and consumers believeFri, 4 Jul 2008 23:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39aacf96-49f6-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/39aacf96-49f6-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlCellphones and beer count, but not cars or cigarettes, in a report that explores what constitutes the basic necessities of everyday life by asking focus groupsFri, 4 Jul 2008 19:35 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3af9b640-49e3-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3af9b640-49e3-11dd-891a-000077b07658.htmlThe high street has been expanding for so many years that some contraction is due, and that reality is finally sinking in to companies, writes John Gapper Fri, 4 Jul 2008 19:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fca911b4-492f-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fca911b4-492f-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlBrown urges City leaders to show pay restraint and predicts the public purse will suffer from rising oil pricesThu, 3 Jul 2008 22:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dafae2dc-4933-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dafae2dc-4933-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlAlistair Darling does not expect the country to enter a recession and says the economy is now in better shape to weather a storm than it has been in the pastThu, 3 Jul 2008 22:20 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd5445c2-4931-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bd5445c2-4931-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlBrown dismissed the notion that speculators were behind record oil prices, even as the Treasury select committee said it would hold the country's first parliamentary hearing into the issueThu, 3 Jul 2008 21:56 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b879d84-4912-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2b879d84-4912-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlThe debt-laden builder is making 1,000 staff redundant in an attempt to preserve cash and deal with the slump in new home sales Thu, 3 Jul 2008 16:22 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b8ac13a-490f-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b8ac13a-490f-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlA safer way of helping the poor would be through increases in taxes at all incomes or targeted cuts in spending, writes Samuel Brittan Thu, 3 Jul 2008 19:13 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1169acea-48df-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1169acea-48df-11dd-9a5f-000077b07658.htmlService sector activity has weakened to its lowest level since 2001, and lenders are still tightening credit conditions for both households and businesses as fears over the economic outlook replace liquidity concerns, data showed Thu, 3 Jul 2008 10:50 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58a5bcd4-4853-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/58a5bcd4-4853-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlUK Trade & Investment data show record inward levels last year, with more than 100,000 jobs created or protected in a fifth successive year of growthThu, 3 Jul 2008 02:54 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d09283fc-4868-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d09283fc-4868-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlThe reduction in wage increases should reassure Alistair Darling and Mervyn King, who have expressed concern that excessive pay demands could push inflation even higherThu, 3 Jul 2008 02:11 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e9e1fd72-486a-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e9e1fd72-486a-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlOne of Charles Bean's biggest personal concerns is 'the risk that employees will seek to maintain their living standards by seeking higher wages'Wed, 2 Jul 2008 23:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3df8ed4a-485b-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3df8ed4a-485b-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlMeasures designed to prop up the ailing housing market including more money upfront for developers were pushed out by ministers amid a blizzard of bad news for the construction sectorWed, 2 Jul 2008 19:45 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/627c65a0-4862-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/627c65a0-4862-11dd-a851-000077b07658.htmlSuddenly the recession risk feels real to British companiesWed, 2 Jul 2008 19:30 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85202166-47bb-11dd-93ca-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85202166-47bb-11dd-93ca-000077b07658.htmlTechnological change, ageing populations and rising expectations are the three furies that bedevil attempts to contain the spiralling cost of healthcare worldwideWed, 2 Jul 2008 01:45 BST