ANALYST VIEWS HOW DOES PERSIMMON COMPARE TO ITS PEERS IN THE SECTOR? April 19, 2012 CHARLIE CAMPBELL LIBERUM A positive trading update from Persimmon, saying that its private sales rates (per site) are up 20 per cent in the year to date, compared to a 22 per cent rise at the end of February, which is helpful for the sector, but NewBuy appears to have got off to a slow [...]
Worries for American GDP as retail sales stagnate in April May 15, 2012 SALES at US retailers barely rose in April as the boost from an unseasonably warm winter faded, official data showed yesterday, pointing to some loss of momentum in consumer spending early in the second quarter. Commerce department figures recorded a 0.1 per cent rise in the month – the smallest gain since December, held back [...]
House prices in unexpected March rise April 4, 2012 House prices rose 2.2 percent in March, confounding forecasts for a 0.3 per cent dip, data from mortgage lender Halifax showed on Wednesday. House prices nudged down 0.6 percent in the three months to March compared with a year ago – the smallest fall on this measure since October 2010. That took the average price [...]
The gold market only has eyes for Bernanke June 25, 2012 GOLD traders have been accustomed to being swept off their feet with big, bold moves from the yellow metal. But they have been left bemoaning the lack of thrills of late, as gold continues to struggle to break to the upside. Yesterday, the gold price held above $1,570 – but this is a long way [...]
Tough housing market weighs on Topps Tiles March 28, 2012 TOPPS said yesterday that muted consumer spending and a sluggish housing market in the UK hurt revenue in the first half of the financial year, sending the company’s shares down four per cent. “It doesn’t seem to me housing transactions will fall below current levels,” chief executive Matthew Williams said. He said the company was [...]
US jobs recovery slowing down April 26, 2012 ■ Fewer people signed up for unemployment benefits in the US last week, the Labor Department revealed yesterday, but the decline was smaller than in previous weeks and provides renewed evidence that the economic recovery is struggling. Initial jobless claims fell 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000. Still, a separate report offered fresh hopes of [...]
House prices struggle despite duty incentive April 9, 2012 HOUSE prices fell again in March, despite higher buying activity ahead of the expiry of the stamp duty holiday, industry figures showed today. Ten per cent more surveyors reported prices falling than rising in the three months to March, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) survey. The fall represents a slowdown from [...]
Surprisingly positive data lifts US shares June 27, 2012 U S stocks rose yesterday as stronger-than-expected economic data helped lift energy stocks, overshadowing concerns a European Union summit will not yield tangible progress in easing the debt crisis. The energy sector showed the strongest gains among the 10 major S&P 500 groups, rising 1.9 per cent as oil prices settled higher at $80.21 a [...]
The case for investing in the artistry of rare gold coins June 10, 2012 THE rare coin market encompasses over 2,500 years of history. It’s dominated by a backbone of collectors who offer stability as long-term holders with a passion for collecting. Growth is currently coming from both collectors and investors. It is a result of a combination of very low interest rates, extreme volatility within traditional investment markets [...]
We need a fresh approach to risk July 17, 2012 IN LATE June, beginning of July, someone pressed the emergency malfunction switch again for the UK’s banks. The reputational fallout has been toxic. Even Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England said: “[something] went very wrong with the UK banking industry and we need to put it right.” In just two short weeks, [...]