The fragile state of consumer confidence has been highlighted by a report that says just one in ten feel they are benefiting from the economic recovery. Half of those polled said the missing part of the jigsaw would only fall into place when their salaries began rising, in a survey that also highlighted fears over house prices.
The big battleground is between two and five-year deals. Here are the pros and cons for each deal. Greg Leach and Tina Peel choose a best-buy five-year fix.
Co-op has insisted that £8million in half-year payments to members could no longer be justified in light of the near collapse of its banking arm.
First Utility, Britain's largest independent energy company, took on 100,000 new customers last month as a result of widespread dissatisfaction with the Big Six. Among the converts are Mike and Wendy Wood, of Macclesfield, Cheshire. The Woods switched from npower to a two-year fixed deal with First Utility.
The £180 Dixons handheld product - while far cheaper than the £250 Apple iPad mini - will be more costly than tablets with 7inch screens being sold by other retailers.
Tens of thousands of women could be in line for significant payouts because their solicitors miscalculated the value of an ex-husband’s pension. This was the case for Susan Redford.
Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world and Fyffes is the leading supplier in Europe and ranks number four in America.
Arguments over water pricing heated up last week as industry regulator Ofwat blocked plans by Thames Water to impose an 8 per cent price rise.
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Sunday newspaper share tips
Fruit specialist Fyffes, recruiter Hays and car parts to bike seller Halfords
'I'm a firefighter and an Avon lady
Could you join the million workers earning extra cash on the side?
'I invested £50,000 in Coventry's Poppy bond and will do again':
Captain Martin Taylor is one of the savers looking at the new 2.6% fix
'I didn't get my loan but broker took fee out of bank account'
Tony Hetherington looks at a Wentworth Direct Finance problem
JEFF PRESTRIDGE: We don't need this Wonga film, just lower rates
Unfortunately the film failed on nearly every level
Why it could pay to check the attic for a dusty Dalek
Dr Who's 50th anniversary is good news for collectors:
How do we profit from our Royal Mail shares?
How do we go about selling them without incurring high fees and is my profit free of tax?
JOHNIE BODEN: 'We must make even more of our British roots'
The middle-class plan to take on the world
'I've reduced my bill for overseas transactions from £20 to just 2'
Banks cash in over 'hidden' currency fees
I thought my energy tariff was fixed... so why are my bills going up 14.3%?
Npower has just told me my bills are rising
My civil partnership has ended and my ex-partner owes my £40,000
How can I get my money back?
New best buys as Virgin Money and National Counties bump up savings rates
But Halifax slashes its top deals.
Consumers tightened their purse strings in October as the stormy weather kept shoppers away from high streets, with total spend in real terms falling for the first time since March. The squeeze came in stark contrast to September, when buoyant spending raised hopes of a coming consumer boom. In October, total spending rose just 1.9 per cent compared with 12 months ago – lower than the 3.2 per cent Retail Prices Index.
Co-operative Group chief executive Euan Sutherland on the bank's troubles and the role of investors in rebuilding the future of the group.
The FTSE 100 firm also warned earnings would be £70million lower and said it was working with Ireland’s central bank on an investigation.
BT Sport left rivals BSkyB and ITV stunned after bidding almost £900 million for the rights to screen live Champions League and Europa League matches.
Britain’s biggest department store chain yesterday said internet orders leapt 23.1 per cent compared with the same period a year earlier.
Rumours have stepped up that overseas buyers are eying BHS and hope to tempt Sir Philip Green to sell the department store chain.
BALANCE TRANSFERS
FIVE FAVOURITE ISAS
BEST BANK ACCOUNTS
TOP CREDIT CARDS
CUT ENERGY BILLS
CHEAP MORTGAGES
CAR INSURANCE
HOLIDAY SPENDING
BALANCE TRANSFERS
FIVE FAVOURITE ISAS
With pay freezes now more likely than rises, many people are turning to second jobs to bring in vital extra cash. Official figures show that 1.2million people are either working for a second employer or setting up a business on the side. Donna Bowsher, 30, combines danger with glamour in her dual working life. She has been a part-time firefighter for 12 years but a year ago she added the role of Avon rep to her CV.
Business Secretary Vince Cable launched a consultation on whether it still has the right to call itself a co-op.
The trip will mark the start of Export Week, part of the Government’s efforts to lift exports to the £1trillion mark by 2020.
I applied for a £1,000 loan through Wentworth Direct Finance. I was told that my application was successful, but that there would be a broker's fee of £69. However, a few weeks later I found that the £69 had been taken from my bank account, yet no loan arrived. Wentworth has said the £69 was taken by a different company called Cash Finance Direct Limited. Can you recover it?
The film, to be shown at selected cinemas and on Channel 4 before Christmas, was commissioned and paid for by Wonga, the country's most profitable payday lender with more than 1.25million customers. Not a word on Wonga - good or bad - was uttered by any of the 12 customers, who included a hairdresser, a student, a devoted mother and an aspiring musician.
Savers happy to lock away their money for nearly three and a half years can now get a competitive rate while helping to raise money for the British Legion's Poppy Appeal. To mark today's Remembrance Sunday, Coventry Building Society has launched two Poppy Bonds, paying 2.6 per cent and 2.5 per cent gross. Captain Martin Taylor is considering a Poppy Bond after investing £50,000 in Coventry's bond last year.
Phoenix Group is inviting 8,000 customers between the ages of 70 and 85 to cash in annuities they bought with 'trivial' pots.
Jamie Hendry Productions has set up an equity crowdfunding system, which allows private investors to buy shares in a company set up to produce the show.
If you remember the 1980s film ‘Trading Places’ you probably already know more about momentum investing than you thought. SaltyDog's Richard Webb explains how the value investor will aim to buy low and hopes to be able to sell high, while the momentum trader will buy high and sell higher.
Boden estimates there are ten million customers and potential customers around the globe, seven times more than it has at present, and six million of those live across the Atlantic. Continental Europe and America beckon and Boden aims to prove that British quality and design can be as exportable as it ever was.
Critics believe that cash-strapped Premier Foods is trying to ease its financial problems by leaning on small business suppliers that have little power to resist.
A national walkout by postal staff had been planned for the start of this month after most of the CWU’s 155,000 Royal Mail members voted in favour of industrial action.
Official figures showed that 'non-farm payrolls' - a crucial measure of health in the world's biggest economy - rose by 204,000 in October.
The staggering near £1billion deal by BT to become the exclusive broadcaster of Champions League football is without doubt a game-changer.
BP’s huge Rhum gas field in the North Sea, jointly owned with Iran, is to be reopened after years of being frozen as part of sanctions against Tehran.
Shares floated at 315p and soared to 355p before closing at 347p to value the group at £3.4billion after a roller coaster day for investors.
High street banks are ‘hiding’ foreign exchange fees on overseas currency transactions, critics claim, with 80 per cent of small firms confused about the true cost of such transfers. A survey of nearly 600 small business owners reveals that most firms do not know how much they are charged by their bank for overseas currency deals. Kriss Soonik now uses TransferWise to pay suppliers overseas.
Brett Akker will tomorrow launch LoveSpace, a 'pay-by-the-box' storage service aimed at students, renters, house movers and small businesses.
The lastminute.com co-founder runs several karaoke bars under the Lucky Voice banner and the app version will be available next week.
I have asked to leave early with a pay sacrifice but my boss has refused and is insisting I work out my notice period – probably because the latter part of it falls across Christmas and New Year when they will struggle to get cover. What could happen if I just did not turn up? Could they take any action beyond withholding pay?
We opted not to receive the share certificates and I assume Royal Mail is now holding the shares. If we want to take advantage of their current higher price how do we go about selling them without incurring high fees? Am I correct in assuming any profit is free of tax?
Following the release of proposed changes to workplace pensions, we take a closer look at how plans might impact widow and widower's pensions.
I am on a tariff called Energy Online August 2014, which I thought was fixed until this time. But Npower has just told me my bills are going up.
I have been self-employed my whole life and am due to reach the state pension age on March 28, 2015. Will I get the new flat-rate pension worth £148-a-week?
A new report in the respected Investors Chronicle magazine has laid bare the gains to be made on self- build and revealed that amateur builders can match or even exceed the profit margin made by large housebuilding companies.
Even if they're in need of financial help, two-fifths of adults have said they wouldn't turn to their families for advice or assistance, a Standard Life study has found.
The deals are not just in regions where the housing market is depressed: website primelocation.com lists no fewer than 8,500 homes across London with reduced asking prices.
Providers are jostling for best buy positions at the moment but rate movements are quite small - often just 0.1 per cent or 0.2 per cent. Savers need to weigh up whether switching providers is actually worth the effort - this will depend on the size of balance.
HSBC has launched a market-beating low-rate loan charging just 4.8 per cent - but is it worth signing up to one of the bank's current accounts for?
Water regulator Ofwat refused Thames Water's request to hike bills by eight per cent, in a move seen as signalling a wider crackdown on rising bills.
As house price inflation picks up, Savills has released its forecast for areas across Britain. Cheap mortgages and government confidence boosters have put a swagger back in property's step - so what now for house prices? We analyse the latest reports and show the predictions for where you live.
Can you really rely on interest rates not rising until the middle of 2016? Economists increasingly say no, but it will take a long time to go cold turkey on low rates.
As the Bank's policymakers also made no change to their money-printing programme, speculation renewed that the benchmark cost of borrowing will be hiked sooner than expected.
The Coventry Building Society has announced the launch of two fixed rate Poppy Bonds, paying up to 2.6%, the latest additions to the successful campaign, which has helped raise more than £8.6 million for the Poppy Appeal since 2008.
The planned change means Britain's biggest building society will have some of the toughest rules for taking out a home loan.
The Government has today published proposals that would revolutionise the UK's workplace pension industry. This is Money explains the options being looked at.
The nation's university students predict that their expected post-university income of £23,980 will quadruple to £101,001 less than 20 years later.
As households are hit with soaring bills this winter, savers looking to offset rising costs could put some of their money into dividend-paying energy companies. But ploughing money into single stocks carries a greater risk of potentially losing your cash and share prices are vulnerable to political changes.
Only the banks, which gave up offering advice after backdoor sales commission was banned, are regarded as bigger losers than consumers since the shake-up.
Investing in an emerging markets fund is not for the faint-hearted. The volatility of this asset class is displayed by the fortunes of JPM Emerging Markets.
Four years of record low interest rates have created a generation of savers frantically seeking better returns — and they have proved easy prey for rogue financial advisers and investment conmen. Many sound slick and knowledgeable, offering safe-sounding schemes and high returns. James Bradley is one of those who has suffered.
I earn £45k but have a possibility of a new job that means a pay rise to £60k. The only thing stopping me is the generous pension I get at my current job.
After the AA fitted the part, costing £199.95, I had to take my car to a garage, who said the motor was faulty and fitted a new one. The AA only refunded me £65.
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A new tax year means a fresh Isa allowance to save. We pick our five favourite cash Isas for savers, don't miss this essential Isa reading that is kept up-to-date throughout the year.
The Association of Investment Companies has analysed all investment trusts to find the 20 strongest and most consistent performers of the last decade.
Royal Mail investors were attracted by the lure of a bumper dividend of 6 per cent or higher. But there are lots of household names with a good dividend yield.
Neil Woodford is stepping down from his funds where he is Britain's favourite manager. We pick five alternative income funds and trusts worth a look.
The bank rate is at a rock bottom 0.5%, and one day it must rise. The big question is when? We explain the factors that will decide when interest rates rise and how quickly, including the latest forecasts from markets and economists. A growing divide is emerging between the Bank of England's forward guidance, the money markets and some economists on when it will have to rise.
For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Read our top ten buy-to-let tips
Mortgage lenders have some astonishingly low rates on offer and this is the best time to be looking for a home loan in six years. So should you fix now?
As house price inflation picks up, Savills has released its forecast for areas across Britain. We analyse the latest figures and the prediction for where you live.
Midwives in the UK get paid on average £29,248: so where does your salary fit into the national league table, and how does it compare to the average in your profession? Our table lists hundreds of Britain's jobs from company executives and doctors to van drivers, waiters and textile machine operators.
| Prize value | Winning bond No. | Area |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 110NM465374 | Tyne and Wear |
| £100,000 | 187EE207065 | Manchester |
| £100,000 | 176RS978106 | Lincolnshire |
| £100,000 | 159QT036890 | Norwich |
| £50,000 | 63RH553428 | West Midlands |
| £50,000 | 191DH809832 | Greater Manchester |
| £50,000 | 43MJ093284 | Croydon |
| £50,000 | 49BK161200 | Norfolk |
| £50,000 | 211QN594328 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| £50,000 | 37PC596428 | Norwich |
Should you join the rush to buy a woodburning stove?
We've cut our energy bills by 25%, claim one family
I'm 49 and have hardly saved anything. Should I just abandon the idea of a pension?
Have your say in Money Morals
House prices at highest level since 2008 after 7% growth in a year
And economists predict 8% rise for 2014
No mortgage if you've lived abroad any time in the past three years
Nationwide to have some of the toughest rules
What is 'defined ambition' and how could it change retirement savings?
New blueprints for pensions revealed
The AA fitted a new starter motor for £200 - but now my car won't start
And it won't give my money back
A 7.5% return to investors willing to take a punt on Smartwater
Three-year retail bond from London-based security firm
Twitter may have helped overthrow governments, but is it worth investing in
Are the shares worth a look and how do you buy?
Taxman's 'shock troops' snatch back £100m
HMRC targets restaurants, landlords and second homes
RACHEL RICKARD STRAUS: I Wonga what you were thinking
A film about a payday lender?
Self-build and get a 30 per cent profit into the bargain
The ultimate DIY investment?
Will my wife and I qualify for the new flat-rate state pension?
I've written to Iain Duncan Smith and even he couldn't explain!'
Will auto-enrolment put your pay rise in peril?
Companies expected to tighten purse strings to cope with pension costs
'Our charges are not extortionate': Wonga defends 5,853% interest rate
MPs accuse lender of causing 'real pain'
Ten tips for minimising inheritance tax
How to give more to your family and less to the taxman
How to find clean funds: we list 30 top-sellers
And explain how to find the rest
| Prize value | Winning bond No. | Area |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000,000 | 110NM465374 | Tyne and Wear |
| £100,000 | 187EE207065 | Manchester |
| £100,000 | 176RS978106 | Lincolnshire |
| £100,000 | 159QT036890 | Norwich |
| £50,000 | 63RH553428 | West Midlands |
| £50,000 | 191DH809832 | Greater Manchester |
| £50,000 | 43MJ093284 | Croydon |
| £50,000 | 49BK161200 | Norfolk |
| £50,000 | 211QN594328 | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| £50,000 | 37PC596428 | Norwich |
| Currency | Rate | Buy now |
|---|---|---|
| Updated 11 Nov 2013. | ||
| Euro | 1.1768 | Buy Now |
| US Dollar | 1.5789 | Buy Now |
| Australian Dollar | 1.6447 | Buy Now |
| Canadian Dollar | 1.6363 | Buy Now |
| Chinese Yuan | 9.4024 | Buy Now |
| Croatian Kuna | 8.8221 | Buy Now |
| Czech Koruna | 31.195 | Buy Now |
| Danish Kroner | 8.6432 | Buy Now |
| Egyptian Pound | 10.468 | Buy Now |
| Euro | 1.1768 | Buy Now |
| Hong Kong Dollar | 12.112 | Buy Now |
| Hungarian Forint | 340.33 | Buy Now |
| Japanese Yen | 154.16 | Buy Now |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 4.9151 | Buy Now |
| New Turkish Lire | 3.1634 | Buy Now |
| New Zealand Dollar | 1.8807 | Buy Now |
| Norwegian Kroner | 9.3868 | Buy Now |
| Polish Zloty | 4.8084 | Buy Now |
| Singapore Dollar | 1.9425 | Buy Now |
| South African Rand | 15.978 | Buy Now |
| Sterling | 1.0 | Buy Now |
| Swedish Kroner | 10.147 | Buy Now |
| Swiss Franc | 1.4392 | Buy Now |
| Thai Baht | 48.311 | Buy Now |
| UAE Dirham | 5.7435 | Buy Now |
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Easy switching has arrived
Tony Hetherington
Tony Hazell