House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
Doubts cast over Spanish banks merger May 25, 2010 FOUR Spanish savings banks will merge into a joint holdings group in a bid to fend off the deepening Eurozone crisis. The pooled resources of the four unlisted regional lenders will create Spain’s fifth biggest financial institution, with assets of more than €135bn (£115bn). The merger between Caja Mediterráneo from Valencia, Cajastur from Asturias, Caja [...]
Risk aversion will undermine euro June 29, 2010 DEMAND for risky assets has been undermined this week by concerns about both the strength of the US recovery and that Chinese growth may not be as rapid as had previously been thought. The euro has also started to wobble again, destabilised by a resurgence in fears about Europe’s banking sector. These worries about the [...]
Risk aversion will undermine euro June 29, 2010 DEMAND for risky assets has been undermined this week by concerns about both the strength of the US recovery and that Chinese growth may not be as rapid as had previously been thought. The euro has also started to wobble again, destabilised by a resurgence in fears about Europe’s banking sector. These worries about the [...]
Bond markets could be about to change gear June 1, 2010 SOVEREIGN risk has risen as the debt problems facing Greece have come out into the open. And volatility in the bond markets is likely to continue after Fitch, the ratings agency, downgraded Spain late last week, reigniting concerns about credit risks. All of this has caused a massive divergence in bond yields and countries perceived [...]
WHAT DOES THE CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET MEAN FOR YOU? June 22, 2010 KATE SOLWAY, 30 FUNDS CONTROLLER AT PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM COGNETAS Kate is single and lives in rented accommodation. She also owns two investment properties – one a London flat with a mortgage which she rents out, and the other a holiday home under construction in west Africa’s Cape Verde, on which she does not have [...]
At a glance: All the crucial points from Osborne’s emergency Budget June 22, 2010 THE ECONOMY/PUBLIC FINANCES • The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published fresh forecasts in light of the measures announced yesterday by chancellor George Osborne. • GDP growth will be 1.2 per cent in 2010, accelerating to 2.3 per cent in 2011, 2.8 per cent in 2012 and 2.9 per cent in 2013. The pace of [...]
At a glance: All the crucial points from Osborne’s emergency Budget June 22, 2010 THE ECONOMY/PUBLIC FINANCES • The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published fresh forecasts in light of the measures announced yesterday by chancellor George Osborne. • GDP growth will be 1.2 per cent in 2010, accelerating to 2.3 per cent in 2011, 2.8 per cent in 2012 and 2.9 per cent in 2013. The pace of [...]
Conservatives most against hung parliament May 5, 2010 SOON we’ll know if Britain is to be governed by a hung parliament for the first time since 1974. If it is, the graph shown will help explain it: Nick Clegg’s buzz, as measured by the “TellYouGov” component of BrandIndex, has been strong ever since the first debate, but at the same time the LibDem’s [...]