Attack of the homes

Here in the UK, household budgets are currently under attack from insufficient growth in earnings and higher costs for basic goods and services.

The fact earnings growth is failing to keep track with general inflation means households are falling behind in terms of their spending ability. And this is being compounded by the fact that high, and rising, costs of basic goods and services, such as food and energy, are eating further into budgets, leaving households with even less to spend on discretionary terms.   Another factor weighing on households at the moment is the further deterioration in household net wealth. Currently, the biggest problem affecting net wealth is the level of household debt, which remains high in relation t...