Inflation

Pay settlements in the three months to 31 January have delivered the biggest average UK pay rises in nearly six years, raising fears last year's surge in energy prices will be converted into permanently higher inflation, reports the Times.

Minutes from the Monetary Policy Committee's latest interest rate hike decision suggest further interest rate rises may have far less support than expected.

Government pension policy for the over-75s could turn people away from saving in pensions, warns Alliance Trust.

House price inflation for 2006 hit 10.5% after a fall in supply helped push prices up another 1.2% in December alone, reports Nationwide.

A further break of links between unemployment and inflation may be on the cards next year, helping economies such as the UK and US to outperform, according to L&G.

A typical British household pays more than £200,000 in indirect taxes over a lifetime, according to a report by Axa, says the Scotsman .

SEVEN of the City's biggest banks will today announce the formation of a pan-European electronic shares trading platform that would compete directly with the London Stock Exchange and other continental markets, reports the Times.

The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee has raised the base interest rate to 5% - its highest level in five years.

Life and pensions manufacturers and distributors are about to get the usual heads-up in the form of third quarter sales figures, but which this year comes with the added knowledge a booming stock market is making some types of sales all the more easier....

Rising house costs over the last 10 years has seen inflation for pensioners rise by 34%, claims Clerical Medical.