Brief economic news of February 12, 2021
FHI, Federation of Technology Industries – 12 February 2021
- The RIVM reports 4385 new confirmed corona infections on Friday. That is 69 fewer than Thursday but still above average. The number of hospital admissions decreased.
- ING made a profit of approximately 2.5 billion euros in 2020, a halving compared to 2019. According to the bank the corona crisis is mainly causing a decline in demand for business loans.
- The UK economy shrank by 9.9 percent in 2020, the biggest fall in more than 300 years. For the first quarter of this year the British central bank expects another 4 percent contraction. The UK has been hit harder than other European countries by the pandemic and Brexit.
- Last month there went according to CBS 142 companies bankrupt. That is four more than in December. This means that the number of bankruptcies remains relatively low.
- Belgians saved 23 billion euros last year, approximately 21 percent of their disposable income. This can be read in the annual report of the National Bank. Attention is drawn to the negative effects of the crisis, particularly on temporary workers, agency workers and freelancers.
- From March 15, entrepreneurs can receive up to 5,000 euros in subsidies for the purchase or lease of a clean delivery van. The scheme runs until the end of 2025. Details can be found at the RVO.
Nederlands