http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economyEconomic News | Herald ScotlandenCopyright 2012 Herald & Times Group all rights reservedSun, 27 May 2012 09:35:02 PDTCopyright 2012 Herald & Times Group all rights reservednoEconomic News | Herald Scotlandhttp://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/footsie-in-doldrums-between-us-and-euro.17701996http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/footsie-in-doldrums-between-us-and-euro.17701996London's leading index was broadly flat yesterday as fears over Europe's banks were offset by a strong consumer confidence survey on the other side of the Atlantic.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/consumers-cautious-as-gdp-shrinks.17687177http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/consumers-cautious-as-gdp-shrinks.17687177OVERALL UK consumer spending grew by 0.1% in the first quarter, in spite of a 0.7% jump in retail sales, suggesting household expenditure off the high street fell sharply.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/orkney-expertise-for-us.17666166http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/orkney-expertise-for-us.17666166AN Orkney-based centre that developed pioneering techniques to test the efficiency of marine renewable energy devices is set to play a key role in the United States' efforts to harness the potential of its waves.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/further-signs-bank-open-to-fiscal-easing.17677786http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/further-signs-bank-open-to-fiscal-easing.17677786FURTHER monetary stimulus for the recession-hit UK economy looks ever-more likely after it emerged that the vote of several Bank of England policy-makers to hold quantitative easing at £325 billion two weeks ago was "finely balanced".http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/april-showers-dampen-sales.17677796http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/april-showers-dampen-sales.17677796UK retail sales plummeted in April as demand for clothing was hammered by grim weather, against a backdrop of weak consumer confidence.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/sharp-rise-in-number-of-scots-firms-going-under.17666131http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/sharp-rise-in-number-of-scots-firms-going-under.17666131SCOTTISH business insolvencies showed a sharp year-on-year rise in April, in contrast to falls in most other parts of the UK, according to the latest "insolvency index" from Experian.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/annual-inflation-drops-to-two-year-low-of-3-x.17667469http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/annual-inflation-drops-to-two-year-low-of-3-x.17667469ANNUAL UK inflation tumbled even more sharply than expected in April – falling to a two-year low of 3% from 3.5% in March and helping open the door to further monetary stimulus to help the struggling economy.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scots-firms-report-best-trading-in-uk.17665982http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scots-firms-report-best-trading-in-uk.17665982Businesses in Scotland have seen a greater improvement in trading conditions over the past 12 months than elsewhere in the UK, according to a quarterly economic study from invoice finance provider Bibby Financial Services.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/renewables-in-uphill-fight-to-compete.17600212http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/renewables-in-uphill-fight-to-compete.17600212THE offshore wind energy industry has to develop vast so-called "mega-projects" and co-operate to improve the supply chain if it is to cut costs sufficiently to compete with other large-scale power generation sources, according to management consultancy Accenture.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/anderson-looks-for-growth-in-hi-tech-advances.17657583http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/anderson-looks-for-growth-in-hi-tech-advances.17657583JAMES Anderson, who runs the £2.4 billion Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, has declared he and his team have "little confidence" in companies' quarterly earnings figures and "none in the views of investment banks".http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/disappointing-take-up-of-larger-industrial-properties-in-scotland.17660381http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/disappointing-take-up-of-larger-industrial-properties-in-scotland.17660381TAKE-up of larger industrial properties in Scotland fell sharply in the first quarter, a survey from property adviser DTZ reveals.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/turbines-subject-to-postcode-lottery.17600511http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/turbines-subject-to-postcode-lottery.17600511A prominent law firm has warned that the Scottish Government's efforts to encourage investment in the renewable energy industry are being undermined because developers face a postcode lottery when it comes to getting approval for schemes from local authorities.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/ftse-up-as-no-euro-news-is-good-news.17660584http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/ftse-up-as-no-euro-news-is-good-news.17660584Investors paused for breath yesterday after the almost relentless sell-off that knocked £80 billion from London's leading shares last week.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/sdi-says-it-helped-provide-7000-jobs.17600197http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/sdi-says-it-helped-provide-7000-jobs.17600197Scottish Development International estimates its trade and investment activity created or safeguarded more than 7000 jobs over the past year as it helped companies including turbine manufacturer Gamesa and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline expand in Scotland.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/top-posts-filled-from-outside-scotland.17600209http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/top-posts-filled-from-outside-scotland.17600209MORE than a quarter of Scottish financial services jobs paying over £50,000 a year went to candidates from outside Scotland, research revealed, as separate figures showed a pick-up in employment north of the Border.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/the-city-under-siege.17621745http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/the-city-under-siege.17621745The shareholder rebellion that has been rampaging across the City blew into Scotland last week with a vengeance.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/how-to-be-part-of-the-revolution.17637615http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/how-to-be-part-of-the-revolution.17637615The term "Shareholder Spring" implies a comparison with Arab countries thought to have a cultural aversion or other barriers to Western-style democracy.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/pound-drops-to-two-month-low.17634264http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/pound-drops-to-two-month-low.17634264THE pound dropped to a two-month low against the dollar yesterday as the greenback was buoyed by its safe haven status amid the eurozone crisis and sterling was weighed down by the UK's proximity to the single currency zone.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/blow-for-capitals-hotels-as-revenues-decline.17636864http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/blow-for-capitals-hotels-as-revenues-decline.17636864HOTELS in Edinburgh suffered a year-on-year tumble in occupancy and room rates in March, but their counterparts in Aberdeen and Glasgow managed to push up revenues sharply, a survey from accountancy firm PKF has revealed.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scotland-is-crucial-player-insists-us-ambassador.17622271http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scotland-is-crucial-player-insists-us-ambassador.17622271US ambassador Louis B Susman last night told a business audience at Edinburgh Castle that Scotland is a "crucial player" in transatlantic commercial links between America and the UK and an "attractive investment opportunity".http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/collapse-in-number-of-firms-growing.17625911http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/collapse-in-number-of-firms-growing.17625911THE proportion of mid-sized Scottish businesses enjoying high levels of growth has nearly halved to 15.6% in the past three years, amid the economic turmoil, new research reveals.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/king-admits-further-qe-remains-a-possibility.17611448http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/king-admits-further-qe-remains-a-possibility.17611448THE Bank of England appears to be leaving the door open for further quantitative easing (QE) to stimulate the struggling economy, with its latest forecasts showing benchmark annual inflation undershooting the 2% target on its favoured two-year time horizon.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/manufacturers-not-confident-on-future.17616572http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/manufacturers-not-confident-on-future.17616572SIX in 10 Scottish-based manufacturers are not confident that their sector will still be a core part of the UK economy in 10 years' time, in spite of Chancellor George Osborne's vision of a "Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers".http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/wintry-april-pushes-sales-figures-down.17602446http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/wintry-april-pushes-sales-figures-down.17602446SCOTTISH retail sales value tumbled in April at the fastest year-on-year pace since comparable records began in 1999 – painting a "worrying picture" amid sharp drops in footfall and continuing insolvencies in the sector, an industry survey reveals today.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/german-strength-helps-eurozone-avoid-recession.17605171http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/german-strength-helps-eurozone-avoid-recession.17605171THE 17-nation eurozone managed to avoid recession in the first quarter of 2012, unlike the UK, data from the European Commission revealed yesterday.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/conference-to-highlight-reduction-in-carbon.17599720http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/conference-to-highlight-reduction-in-carbon.17599720The challenges of meeting Scotland's aggressive carbon reduction targets will be highlighted at the first conference of the newly formed Association of Carbon Professionals in Edinburgh this week.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/greek-woe-hurts-euro-as-sterling-hits-three-year-high.17591512http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/greek-woe-hurts-euro-as-sterling-hits-three-year-high.17591512THE pound hit a fresh three-and-a-half year high against the euro yesterday as fears that Greece might exit the eurozone were fuelled by the country's continuing failure to form a Government after an inconclusive election.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scottish-private-sector-continues-expansion.17547290http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/scottish-private-sector-continues-expansion.17547290SCOTLAND's private-sector economy continued to expand in April, according to the results of a closely-watched survey that will provide reassurance the country is on the road to growth.http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/private-sector-growth-in-numbers.17547292http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/private-sector-growth-in-numbers.17547292Bank of Scotland PMI Composite output/activity indexhttp://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/building-sector-figures-show-fall-in-output.17570293http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/markets-economy/building-sector-figures-show-fall-in-output.17570293UK construction output tumbled 4.8% in the first quarter – a much steeper drop than the 3% estimated by the Office for National Statistics when it calculated that the overall economy contracted by 0.2% during this period, revised official data shows.nonadult