Osborne has defeated Ed Balls – but UK’s economy still fragile September 9, 2013 WITH the economy finally growing much more quickly, it is no surprise that the chancellor chose yesterday to show off about it. He is certainly right to be celebrating having seen off Labour’s Ed Balls, whose strident opposition to modest cuts and claims they would inflict permanent havoc are no longer credible. Osborne is also [...]
Insurance company of the year September 9, 2013 Insurance is the quiet success story of the British financial services industry. While UK banks continue to be hamstrung by government ownership and poor reputations, our insurers are powering ahead and selling to the world – prompting a construction boom in the City’s insurance district around Fenchurch Street. We were looking for companies that were [...]
MPs deliver new blow to HS2 plan September 8, 2013 HIGH Speed 2 (HS2) lacks a “convincing strategic case”, according to a damning report released today by MPs that questions the entire justification for the £50bn railway. Margaret Hodge MP, chairman of the public accounts committee, said the department for transport had relied on “fragile numbers, out-of-date data and assumptions which do not reflect real [...]
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 [...]
Ashtead falls on US fears despite surge in profits September 4, 2013 FTSE 250-listed equipment rental firm Ashtead’s first-quarter results were ahead of analysts’ expectations, but its heavy exposure to the US construction market led its share price to plunge over five per cent yesterday. Ashtead, which makes the vast majority of its revenues from the US, particularly its Sunbelt Rentals business, posted a 59 per cent [...]
Growth forecast hiked for UK as recovery emerges September 3, 2013 THE BRITISH economy is expected to expand almost twice as quickly this year as previously thought, according to new forecasts from a major international agency. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the UK’s GDP is likely to grow by 1.5 per cent this year, up from the 0.8 per cent it [...]
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 [...]
South African gold miner strikes to begin on Tuesday August 30, 2013 Workers in South Africa’s gold mines are planning to begin a strike over pay on 3 September, the Chamber of Mines has said. Last week, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) – which represents 64 per cent of all underground workers in the country – gave gold producers a seven-day ultimatum to meet its demand [...]
Hays heralds a return to profit for its UK arm August 29, 2013 RECRUITMENT firm Hays has turned a profit in Britain for the first time in five years, in what chief executive Alistair Cox said reflects a return to growth in most parts of the UK jobs market. “We are on the front foot in terms of growth now, we expect the UK to continue to grow,” [...]
Business split over future of High Speed 2 August 27, 2013 THE BRITISH Chambers of Commerce (BCC) yesterday insisted its members are “completely behind” the High Speed 2 railway – despite a rival business organisation withdrawing its support for the project. John Longworth, director general of the BCC, told City A.M. that an entirely new line is still the only way to avoid a capacity crunch on [...]