News
is inflation falling?
Good news today as the inflation rate remains steady at 2% – the Bank of England’s target. The Office of National Statistics reported that economists’ forecasts put the inflation rate at 1.9%, which sadly was not met.
Inflation within sectors
The Bank of England had expected services inflation to fall to 5.1%, but it remains at 5.7%.
The so-called Taylor Swift effect may be causing hotel prices to rise by 9.8%, up from 7%, as her Eras Tour makes its way across the UK. As summer begins, the concert and travel season starts to drive up hotel prices.
- The ONS reports that the sector that presented the lowest inflation rate was clothing and footwear.
- The sectors that keep inflation high are hotel prices, restaurants, transportation and domestic services.
- Restaurant and cafe prices rose 0.3% month-on-month, down from a 0.5% increase a year earlier.
- Transport inflation is largely driven by the price of used cars, which fell 0.3% compared with a 1.9% drop last year.
- Food inflation led the way in the falling rate of inflation in previous months. The ONS reports that the price of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose by 1.5% in the year to June 2024, compared with a 1.7% increase the previous year.
Bank of England Decisions
The Bank of England meets every 6 weeks to discuss any changes and decide on the base rate. They will meet again on 1 August.
Many expect the base rate to be cut from the current 5.25%, but with several sectors remaining high, this may be unlikely.