Deloitte bets on rising growth to boost its profits August 11, 2013 PROFITS edged up at Deloitte LLP in the last year, the consultancy reported today, and the group expects the improving economy to give its fortunes a boost in the coming 12 months. Revenues increased eight per cent on the year to £2.5bn, driven by improvements in all five business divisions. The biggest gains came in [...]
Fresh greek rescue fear August 21, 2013 GREECE may need a third bailout, Germany warned yesterday, hinting that the Eurozone crisis could flare up again and smashing hopes that the continent is on the mend. The troubled state is still deep in recession and is likely to need more aid when the current bailout deal runs out at the end of 2014, [...]
Fresh Greek bailout fears for Eurozone August 20, 2013 GREECE may need a third bailout, Germany warned yesterday, hinting that the Eurozone crisis could flare up again and smashing hopes that the continent is on the mend. The troubled state is still deep in recession and is likely to need more aid when the current bailout deal runs out at the end of 2014, [...]
Why HS2 won’t cost £80bn August 19, 2013 The Institute for Economic Affairs has a report out this morning on the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway that claims the real cost of the project will be "more than £80bn" – around double the government's current estimate. But even if you think HS2 is a costly white elephant, don't be taken in by these [...]
EU commissioner says there’s space for further trade agreements with China July 29, 2013 Following the agreement between the European Commission and China on a minimum price for solar panels over the weekend, EU trade commissioner Karel de Gucht has said there is a “window for discussions” over the next few months to resolve further trade disputes over wine and silicon. European solar panel manufacturers previously accused Chinese companies [...]
Legal & General chief pledges to invest more in infrastructure August 4, 2013 LEGAL & General has earmarked billions of pounds to invest in British infrastructure over the next decade, in a boost for the government as it tries to sign up private sector funders for big construction projects. The insurance and pensions giant confirmed yesterday that it hopes to put as much as £15bn of its £441bn [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 6, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]
Battle lines drawn over HS2 rail link September 10, 2013 New report claims line will boost UK’s economy by £15bn …but critics remain unconvinced MINISTERS will today launch a fightback in support of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project – as a government-commissioned KPMG report claims the project would boost the UK economy by £15bn a year. Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin will use a major [...]
Letters to the editor – 30/07 – Heathrow debate, Best of Twitter July 29, 2013 Heathrow debate [Re: Forget disastrous Heathrow and build a more efficient hub to London’s east, yesterday] The aviation debate shows no sign of abating. And despite all the arguments to the contrary, the cost, economic benefits, and practicality of a Heathrow extension still make serious consideration of other options borderline nonsensical. The alternatives are costly, [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 2, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]