Monday newspaper round-up: ECB, UK retailers, PRA...

5th Jan 2015 06:40

A Financial Times survey of economists has uncovered scepticism surrounding a potential quantitative easing (QE) programme by the European Central Bank. Most economists questioned by the paper said they expected growth and inflation to remain weak even with QE.The Guardian reports that John Lewis' boss Andy Street has warned other retailers that Black Friday promotions must be kept under control in 2015, as strong demand over the promotional weekend hit Christmas profitability.A quarterly poll by Deloitte has found that the upcoming General Election is the top concern among UK companies, The Guardian says. A weakening Eurozone and possible British exit from the EU were also cited as a worry.Nearly one in six staff at the Bank of England's financial regulator, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), left last year, The Telegraph writes. The annual employee turnover rate at the PRA rise to 15,4%.Simon Stevens, the head of the NHS, has said that the next government could face a "public backlash" if it fails to deliver sustained annual funding increases for the health service, reports the Financial Times. He said that "boom-bust" funding cycles are "inefficient for taxpayers and bad for patients".The Telegraph has said that UK supermarkets are sitting on more than 1,000 acres of land and are building on just 6% of it as the industry continues to struggle. Just 2.8m square feet of a total 46.61m square feet is under construction.Figures from EEF have shown that manufacturers' confidence has collapsed over the past 12 months, writes The Times. The drop in sentiment was "dragged down by fears for the economies of Britain's trading partners in the eurozone and political uncertainties surrounding Russia and the rise of Islamic State", the paper says.