House prices continue to fall as more properties go on sale September 13, 2010 HOUSE prices fell for a second consecutive month in August and their lowest level since May 2009, the latest figures from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have revealed. It said a further increase in the supply of properties being placed on the market had edged prices lower but at the same time had [...]
Debenhams brand fuels profit surge October 21, 2010 DEBENHAMS said yesterday that sales of its own brand ranges had helped it to increase its profit by 20 per cent. The rise in the year to 28 August came as the company also reduced its debt. Sales of Debenhams own brand ranges, which include H! by Henry Holland and Principles by Ben De Lisi, [...]
A BETTER WAY TO PLAY THE POUND RALLY October 26, 2010 DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT YESTERDAY’S UK GDP data must have impressed even the most ardent cable bulls after it came in at twice the market consensus, increasing to 0.8 per cent versus 0.4 per cent expected. Growth was strong across the board and overall, the third quarter GDP grew at 2.8 per cent on [...]
Retail sales hit by tax and inflation October 21, 2010 THERE is a simple reason why retail sales are beginning to fall, and it has very little to do with the Comprehensive Spending review. A triple whammy of limited pay rises, elevated inflation and tax increases have conspired to impoverish most of the public over the past year, a development that has been barely picked [...]
Mayer Brown transfers secretaries to TMF Group October 4, 2010 INTERNATIONAL law firm Mayer Brown has sold its UK corporate secretarial arm to outsourcing group, TMF. The move will see five secretaries, who work for the law firm’s corporate support unit in the City, transfer over to TMF at the end of the month. At Mayer Brown, the secretaries supported the firm’s corporate department by [...]
Foreclosures dominate bank earnings season October 18, 2010 JUST before third-quarter earnings season kicked off in the US, JP Morgan released a research note on the US banking sector calling banking stocks “attractively valued”. Pointing to improved credit conditions this year, the note was cautiously upbeat, revising near-term estimates upwards. But there was one word missing from the note: foreclosures. In the past [...]
Gifts with a sense of history November 22, 2010 IT’S no coincidence that the recession has overlapped with a surge in the popularity of all things old fashioned. If our confidence in a bold, sparkling future has faltered, our interest in the aesthetics of the past – and the values of quality, provenance and craftsmanship that go with it – has rocketed upwards. 1940s-themed [...]
Barratt September 8, 2010 WHETHER you deem Barratt a good buy depends on whether you are a bull or a bear on the housing market next year. For the bulls, there are plenty of positives: net debt has fallen £910m to £367m since last year, forward sales are up 22 per cent to £847m and crucially operating margin has [...]
Public spending cuts force ?Archial into administration September 22, 2010 BRITISH architectural firm Archial Group called in the administrators yesterday after the taxman rejected a payments deal and in the wake of a slowdown in business due to government spending cuts in the UK. The administrators from PricewaterhouseCoopers would now seek a rapid sale of Archial as a going concern, said the company in a [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 23, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES CAMERON WOOS NORDIC NATIONS David Cameron is to host a summit with leaders of Nordic and Baltic countries in January, an unusual move which Downing Street billed as an opportunity to exchange ideas on issues such as the green economy, social cohesion and gender equality. Cameron’s spokeswoman insisted the summit was not an [...]