WORLDFINANCE

It’s been one year since the Bank of England slashed interest rates to a record low of just half a percent as part of its effort to prevent the recession getting worse, the lowest they’ve been for 300 years. The best savings rates are now well below the official rate of inflation so savings in real terms have been shrinking. Violence against shop workers is increasing according to the British Retail Consortium, which says the number of incidents doubled in 2009. Finally, last year was the worst on record for housebuilders with the number of new houses falling to a 60-year low. Over the past week, however, there have been improved results from a number of construction companies.

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