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Mapping and addressing COVID-19 regional inequalities using real-time spending data

A recent UK government aim is to address such disparities through policies to 'level-up' the regions that historically have experienced less benefits arising from globalisation and national economic growth. This is a particular pertinent issue for the UK, which is among the most geographically unequal developed economies. In our research, we use granular, real-time data on consumer spending to measure the uneven 2020 recession and recovery across UK regions. 

28 January 2021

Investment Trends Beyond 2021: Nearshoring of Tech Talent

 In real demand terms, the consumer transaction data specialist Fable Data reported that in the U.K., spending on electronics ranked among the top three segments in November and December, and in Germany, hardware alongside beer and wine were consistently among the most popular individual purchase areas.

20 January 2021

Eurozone heading for double-dip recession as expert fears ‘wave of bankruptcies’

Germany last week rolled out a series of new measures with infections and deaths growing at a record rates. Consumer spending in the second week of January was down 25 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Fable Data.

18 January 2021

Lockdowns fuel fears of double-dip recession in Eurozone 

German consumer spending in the second week of January was 25 per cent lower than in the same period last year, according to Fable Data, which tracks bank transactions.

17 January 2021

Consumers rushed out to spend after England lockdown lifted

Figures produced by Fable Data, based on card transactions and bank payments, show that consumer expenditure in the UK was up 9.4 per cent in the week ending December 13 compared with the same period a year ago.

17 December 2020

UK consumer confidence at six-month low as restrictions tighten

The figures were released as research from Fable Data, a company that tracks credit card transactions, showed UK consumer spending contracting 8.8 per cent in the week ending November 15 compared to the same period last year, making a sudden reversal of the improvements seen over the summer.

20 November 2020

How to contain COVID-19 flare-ups without crushing the economy

As the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to spread, global policy makers face a multitrillion-dollar question: How can we contain it without a fresh round of broad lockdowns? The researchers combined COVID-19 case reports with spending figures provided by Fable Data.

17 November 2020

New restrictions less damaging to UK economy than spring lockdown, data show

Consumer spending contracted 2.8 per cent in the week ending November 8 compared with the same week last year, down from a 1 per cent expansion in the previous week, but a smaller drop than in March, according to Fable Data.

16 November 2020

Drop in UK consumer confidence fuels double-dip recession fears

Figures from Fable Data, a company that tracks bank transactions, showed the annual change in spending for pubs and restaurants contracted in the week ending October 18, reversing September’s expansion, despite growth in spending on food deliveries.

23 October 2020

London restaurant spend topped 2019 before new restrictions

Spending at restaurants, pubs and bars in London climbed above 2019 levels for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic before new restrictions were put in place, data provided exclusively to City A.M has shown. Food and beverage spending was 1.7 per cent higher in September than a year earlier, according to Fable Data, which tracks card payments and bank transactions.

21 October 2020

Die Briten zeigen, wie erfolglos die Sperrstunde wirklich ist

Translation: The British show how unsuccessful the curfew really is Kreditkartenumsätze in Pubs lagen seit Mitte August bis Ende September laut Daten des Beratungsunternehmens Fable Data regelmäßig über dem Vorjahr. Seither verzeichnen sie einen deutlichen Abwärtstrend. Die Pub-Ausgaben liegen im zweistelligen Prozentbereich unter den Werten der entsprechenden Wochen 2019.

12 October 2020

Pubs and restaurants take blame for UK’s Covid spike

The latest consumer spending figures from Fable Data, a consultancy which has access to spending on cards across the UK, suggests spending in the hospitality sector remained high in September, after the August boost, but has begun to fall off. The latest figures show pubs had their worst week of takings up to last Sunday since the first week in August.

08 October 2020

Economic update: Summer rebound but gloomier winter ahead

There are some indications that the summer momentum began to ease in September. For example, the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index showed growth in business activity slowed in September. This was particularly the case in the services sector. In addition, card and bank payments data collected by Fable Data point to consumer spending slowing over the course of September, following strong increases in July and August. ​ *The House of Commons Library does not operate as a press outlet, but as an impartial research and information service based in UK Parliament.

29 September 2020

Fixing test and trace is the only way to avoid economic catastrophe

According to the Fable data, based on 180,000 transactions, spending in Leicester was already 31pc down compared to its pre-virus level, at around £750,000 a day. But while the lockdown cut Covid-19 cases from 20 per 100,000 to fewer than five per 100,000 inhabitants, it did so without any further significant decline in credit card spending compared to Coventry.

28 September 2020

Recovery in UK consumer confidence threatened by rising infections

In the week ending September 20, UK consumer spending contracted on an annual basis for the first time. “After six weeks of positive year-on-year spend, UK spend was down 1.32 per cent this week,” said Avinash Srinivasan, equity analyst at Fable Data.

25 September 2020

Richer London boroughs suffer biggest fall in lockdown spending

Some of the richer boroughs – where residents have thriving food scenes on their doorstep and more spare cash – did the best from the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August, according to card payments and bank transactions tracked by Fable Data.

11 September 2020

Fear and frustration: Europe’s wealthy keep wallets closed

Card transaction data from analytics firm Fable Data shows UK retail sales rose in August, recovering to just above 2019 levels by the end of the month. Consumers shifted spending from entertainment, leisure and transport towards cars, car maintenance, home improvements and sporting goods.

11 September 2020

UK economy faces gloomy fourth quarterSpending slowed even before new restrictions were announced

Consumer spending remains the bright spot in the economy, with the latest figures from Fable Data, which tracks spending on cards and bank accounts, showing a 4.8 per cent rise in total spending in the week up to September 13, compared with the same week in 2019.

23 January 2020