Household finances hit four-month low in April

In a survey of over 2,000 households, a third (29%) of respondents said their financial situation had worsened since March, compared to 8% who reported an improvement. On the Markit/YouGov Household Finance Index (HFI), April gave the lowest readings since December 2009, with difficult labour market conditions and rising inflation being blamed for weighing on consumer sentiment. Economist at Markit Tim Moore says: "Higher unemployment and rising inflation perceptions could present a threat to the consumer recovery, and this unwelcome prospect will need to be monitored closely by polic...