Last week’s figures noted the US economy adding many more jobs than was expected during January. Meanwhile Chinese manufacturing output wasn’t quite as buoyant as was expected.

Mark Miller joins Helm Godfrey to focus on business development.

The week commencing 16 January brought higher-than-expected inflation in the UK and precisely-as-expected growth from China.

Last week brought news of a wider British trade deficit and a marginal decrease in the University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment.

The first full week of the new year brought good news in the form of solid manufacturing numbers out of China. Over in the US, non-farms payroll data disappointed a little but wages are rising at a healthy pace.

The week beginning 5 December brought a much narrower UK trade deficit and an extended schedule for the ECB’s asset purchase programme. Both have a good-news, bad-news feel to them.

Almost half of accountants say they do not know enough about auto enrolment*, despite being the primary source of advice sought by small businesses about the pension legislation, a report by employee benefits adviser Helm Godfrey has found.

The week beginning 28 November saw two key international indicators – Chinese manufacturing PMIs and the US non-farms payroll report – give encouraging signs.

Other than the announcement of a UK National Productivity Investment Fund, week the week beginning 21 November didn’t provide us with as much fiscal stimulus as we would like. Meanwhile, deflationary pressures eased a little in Japan.

The week commencing 14 November was all about the US. There was better than expected retail sales growth in the US which, given the oversized contribution to gross domestic product that consumption provides, is good news.