FTSE shored up by strong blue chip results May 2, 2012 The FTSE 100 was flat in early trading as better than expected US manufacturing figures were offset by the bleak picture in the Eurozone. US manufacturing expanded at its fastest pace for 10 months fuelling confidence in the recovery of the world’s largest economy. However, the Eurozone’s manufacturing sector slipped further into decline last month, [...]
House prices in biggest monthly fall for two years March 29, 2012 House prices suffered their sharpest monthly fall in more than two years in March, as first-time homebuyers braced for the removal of stamp duty exemption, mortgage lender Nationwide said. Nationwide reported one per cent seasonally adjusted fall in house prices on the month, the biggest since February 2010, and a sharp contrast to the 0.3 [...]
Hopeful house buyers put off by low supply February 5, 2012 A SHORTAGE of suitable housing is preventing potential first-time buyers from stepping onto the property ladder, according to data released this morning. Asked to name their biggest concern about buying a home, the second most common response among potential buyers was the difficulty of finding a property. “In the final quarter of 2011, the numbers [...]
Hopeful house buyers put off by low supply February 5, 2012 A SHORTAGE of suitable housing is preventing potential first-time buyers from stepping onto the property ladder, according to data released this morning. Asked to name their biggest concern about buying a home, the second most common response among potential buyers was the difficulty of finding a property. “In the final quarter of 2011, the numbers [...]
Private buyout deals reach a four-year high September 30, 2012 PRIVATE equity buyouts in the UK are returning to pre-financial crisis levels, with buyout leverages and deals worth over £1bn at their highest point since 2008, data released today reveals. Figures from the Centre for Management Buyout Research shows that three buyout deals have surpassed the £1bn mark this year, the first time this has [...]
No mercy from Van Persie against old friends November 1, 2012 MANCHESTER UNITED VS ARSENAL Tomorrow 12.45pm IT was a harsh lesson learned by the Arsenal fans who left the Madejski Stadium early during the Gunners’ incredible Capital One Cup comeback against Reading. But if the scoring at Old Trafford tomorrow lunchtime resembles anything like the pattern it followed when they last visited Manchester United, then [...]
Green shoots for retailers and the housing industry March 21, 2012 CONSUMER spending has been “a little more resilient than expected” in the opening months of the year, a survey from the Bank of England revealed yesterday. While consumer demand was only growing “at a gradual pace”, the summary of business conditions offers a glimmer of hope for the economic recovery. “Annual growth of spending on [...]
Think-tank: Scrap green belt to boost GDP growth March 7, 2012 RESTRICTIVE planning laws are holding back economic growth, hurting the poor and pushing down the quality of houses, a new report claims. The Adam Smith Institute (ASI) has called for a radical shake up of planning rules that would see the green belt scrapped, devolution of planning powers to local authorities, and the privatisation of [...]
Barratt sees swing back into profits February 22, 2012 BARRATT Developments swung back into profit in the first half of the year thanks to its increased focus on higher margin regions, building houses rather than flats and developing low-cost land bought after the 2008 property crash. Shares, which are up almost 50 per cent since Christmas, rose almost eight per cent yesterday after the [...]
Mortgage lending sticks to upward path March 20, 2012 MORTGAGE lending has increased for the seventh consecutive month, on a year-on-year basis, new figures showed yesterday. Gross lending stood at £10.7bn, up slightly from £10.65bn in January and 14 per cent higher than the £9.4bn last February, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) revealed yesterday. That is lower than the £12.22bn in December and [...]