Analysis - weekly feature on consumer issues

Latest Features

Why are energy prices still so high?

If household gas and electricity prices soared 42% in 2008 because of sky-high oil prices, why have they only dropped 4.2% in 2009 when oil prices went through the floor?

Sharesave bonanza for ASDA workers

It's a great way to save, and profitable too - especially if you work for a firm performing well on the FTSE 100.

Should you join the Germans by going for gold?

Any savers and small investors unsettled by this week's disagreement between the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor of the Exchequer might be consulting their budget-airline timetables.

Cover yourself when raving in a field

An army of about 180,000 music fans heads for the Glastonbury Festival in the West Country at the end of June, and many won't notice they have gaping holes in their insurance policies as they set off.

Act now to avoid a big pension shortfall

When two of Britain's leading firms announced big cutbacks to company pension schemes this week, they highlighted once again the problems facing millions of private-sector workers when they stop work.

Get the best out of the Car Scrappage Scheme

For every motorist who buys a new vehicle under the new Car Scrappage Scheme before the Government's promised £300 million subsidy runs out, another four drivers could be left disappointed.

Lloyds seeking to lure first-time house buyers

At a time when thousands of would-be first-time buyers fear they may never be able to buy a place of their own, Britain's biggest lender may have found a formula to get the housing market going again.

Speculators spark share-market revival

"Sell in May and go away" is a familiar axiom for shareholders.

Are mortgage rates about to go up?

Eight weeks after Base rate hit a mind-boggling 0.5%, this week's decision by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to leave rates unchanged, hardens the consensus that mortgage rates go one way from here - up.

Guarantee a return for your savings

If you believe our economy sits on a powder keg of inflation - and some fear its return might be the only salvation for Britain if Government plans to borrow £700bn are carried through - there are sound arguments for holding savings which guarantee an index-linked return.