Britain's total vehicle manufacturing fell 1.2% year over year to 58,513 units in April, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said Thursday.
Car production tumbled 0.7% to 56,135 units, while commercial vehicle output declined 10.9% to 2,378 units.
For the four months to April, total vehicle manufacturing slumped 10.7% to 266,601 units.
Bank of Korea kept its base rate unchanged at 2.50% for the inter-meeting period amid high inflationary pressure and uncertainties surrounding developments in the Middle East, the central bank said in a Thursday release.Five members of the Monetary Policy Board backed keeping the base rate steady, while Chang Yongsung and Ryoo Sangdai opposed, calling for a 0.25% rate hike to 2.75%.The decision was in line with a poll conducted by Reuters, wherein 30 of 32 economists anticipated the rate freeze decision. A survey conducted by Bloomberg also witnessed 22 out of 23 economists agreeing on a steady rate decision.Inflation pressures have risen due to the Middle East conflict, while stronger exports raised growth beyond earlier expectations, and financial stability risks remain.Consumer inflation rose to 2.6% in April on the jump in petroleum prices, while core inflation remained unchanged at 2.2%, and inflation expectations remained in the upper 2% range.The central bank expects inflationary pressure to build further amid higher oil prices and growing demand, raising inflation forecasts for this year to 2.7% for headline inflation and 2.4% for core inflation, both above its February projections.
Australian total household spending in April was AU$79.42 billion, up 4.9% compared with April 2025, and down 1.1% month-on-month on a current price, seasonally adjusted basis, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on Thursday.Household spending fell in six of the nine spending categories in April compared with the month prior, with the largest decreases in transport, clothing and footwear, and food.Spending on goods recorded a year-on-year increase of 6.5% and a month-on-month decrease of 0.4%, with the fall due to lower spending on motoring goods, food, and clothing and footwear.Meanwhile, household spending on services rose 3% year on year, and fell 1.9% month on month, with the decrease driven by lower spending on air passenger and sea transport, rail and road transport, and other services.Household spending fell for five of the eight states and territories, with the strongest decreases in Western Australia, Victoria, and South Australia, according to the report.
Total new capital expenditure in Australia in seasonally adjusted terms was AU$52.57 billion in the March quarter, up nearly 15% on the same period last year, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released on Thursday.The seasonally adjusted estimate for equipment, plant, and machinery surged 31% to AU$27.49 billion, while buildings and structures rose 0.8% to AU$25.08 billion."The lift in investment was the result of investment in data centre equipment, specifically server racks and processing equipment, significantly boosting overall investment figures," said Tom Lay, ABS head of business statistics.Meanwhile, the trend estimate for total new capital expenditure was AU$51.96 billion, up over 13% on last year.The trend estimate for buildings and structures rose 3.2% to AU$25.55 billion, while equipment, plant, and machinery jumped past 25% to AU$26.38 billion, according to the ABS data.