Mortgage approvals fall as lending to businesses also drops March 29, 2019 Mortgage approvals for house purchases fell in February while the number approvals for remortgaging also decreased, data released today showed. Meanwhile, the annual growth of bank lending to businesses fell in February for non-financial businesses, reversing an increase in January, Bank of England (BoE) data revealed. Read more: Sluggish GDP growth and shrinking business investment in UK [...]
Brexit dogma is a one-way ticket to extinction for London’s Tories June 11, 2019 As 11 candidates prepare to enter the race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative party leader and Prime Minister, London Tories have their own identity crisis to worry about. They just chalked up a new electoral record: 7.8 per cent of the vote, fifth place citywide, and zero MEPs returned to the European parliament. Ex-Tory [...]
UK AI sector funding hits record £1bn for 2018, almost the same as the rest of Europe combined February 20, 2019 Investment into the UK’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector from venture capital firms reached a record $1.3bn (£998m) last year, almost as much as the rest of Europe combined. The new figures from Dealroom represent a fourfold increase in five years, up from a total of $200m in 2014. In comparison, French AI startups raised $400m last [...]
It’s time to write the next chapter in the City’s story of technological innovation April 15, 2019 When I travel across the globe, there is an issue I get asked about time and time again: what is it about London that makes it such a successful global financial hub? And what is it about the UK that makes us stand out from the crowd? A key part of the answer is innovation. [...]
Greggs shares are on fire, but can it last? May 24, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. After some great results, shares in fast-growing Greggs have taken just seven months to double in value. Thanks to a social media frenzy and masterclass in PR, the Greggs vegan sausage roll is now surely a thing of stock market folklore. The transformation of the Greggs (LSE:GRG) brand and [...]
Nationwide UK house price index: Annual growth rate picked up in October November 1, 2017 The annual rate of house price growth rose to 2.5 per cent in October, from 2.3 per cent in September, according to the latest Nationwide house price index. Prices went up 0.2 per cent on a monthly basis, down slightly from 0.4 per cent growth in the previous month. Nationwide’s chief economist Robert Gardner said: [...]
UK house price growth slumps to six-year low December 7, 2018 UK house prices grew by their weakest rate in almost six years last month, according to figures released today. Boasting just 0.3 per cent growth in the three months to the end of November compared to the same period last year, house prices fell to their lowest growth since December 2012, according to Halifax. House [...]
UK house prices show modest growth for September October 2, 2018 UK house prices grew two per cent year on year for September, according to new figures released today, but London house prices declined. Homes in the capital fell by less than one per cent compared to the same period of 2017, Nationwide reported today, against a fairly stable picture for the whole of the UK. [...]
Our pessimistic country needs a One Nation housing crusade June 19, 2019 It’s the political equivalent of playing Pac-Man, while nodding your mullet to Wham! – our housing policy seems stuck in the 1980s, like a Care Bear in a leg-warmer. The Conservative leadership candidates have all served as part of a government whose core housing strategy hails from that Duran Duran decade: subsidised social housing sell-offs [...]
UK construction sector shrinks for second consecutive month April 2, 2019 Britain’s construction sector contracted in March for the second month in a row, it was revealed today, as a slowing commercial market and Brexit uncertainty weighed on the sector. The construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) stood at 49.7 in March compared to 49.5 in February, the first back-to-back fall in output since August 2016. A score of [...]