The UK’s trade deficit has widened again and London has to face up to the fact that competition for exports is getting harder February 9, 2016 As an island nation, international trade has historically been at the heart of the UK’s national identity. However, over recent decades we have been losing ground and our share of world exports. Figures released this morning by the ONS found that the UK trade deficit for goods widened yet again in 2015. While there was [...]
London Land Commission: The capital has room for 130,000 new homes January 26, 2016 London has room for at least 130,000 new homes on surplus land owned by the public sector, according to a report released today. The London Land Commission, which is co-chaired by the mayor and housing minister, has published an interactive map showing which parts of London are owned by public organisations such as boroughs, the police and transport [...]
Settled aims to make the home buying process far smoother May 5, 2016 While most people will start a home search these days on Rightmove or Zoopla, less of us are ready to ditch the traditional estate agent and go online, when it comes to the selling process. And the reason why the online agents have failed to grab a larger market share so far is, according to [...]
EU referendum: Why the smallest firms must make EU politics their business May 23, 2016 It’s exactly a month to the day to the EU referendum. It’s also the moment Britain’s army of small businesses have been dreading. For them there’s more than just the most desirable shape of a banana, open borders, the Greek question or Brussels bureaucracy at stake, it’s making a decision about the future of their [...]
City Moves for 27 January 2016 | Who’s switching jobs January 27, 2016 Indigo Planning Indigo Planning has appointed of Julie White as associate. Julie joins the consultancy firm with more than 15 years’ national and regional industry experience. Much of Julie’s work has focused on delivering residential and mixed-use proposals for private developers, as well as major retail projects for a national supermarket operator. She also has experience [...]
Don’t fear falling tech firm valuations: This isn’t a repeat of the dot-com bust April 19, 2016 Is tech overvalued? Are we heading for another painful bust? If you only read the headlines and looked at the numbers, you might believe that. After reaching record levels, some tech startup valuations are falling. And with global economic conditions looking gloomy again, those valuations might drop further. Together with my partner Steve Schlenker, I [...]
Eurozone construction jumps in November January 19, 2016 Construction in the Eurozone jumped 0.8 per cent in November compared with the month, adding to the evidence that the economy of the currency-bloc is picking up speed. Compared with the same month last year, construction was up 2.1 per cent, the figures released this morning by Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, show. While [...]
Why Avant’s Al Goldstein is excited about partnering with big banks June 16, 2016 Despite being just four years’ old, Avant Credit is one of the largest marketplace lenders in the alternative finance industry. The US firm has been operating in the UK since 2013, and has issued over half a million loans to consumers, totalling more than $3bn in originations. Avant isn’t a P2P lender – it uses [...]
Fidgety millennials: How to stop the mid-management exodus May 20, 2016 When you think of a “millennial” worker, do you think of a recent graduate, or somebody who you have worked with for years who is running their own team? The label covers anyone from 21 to 33 years old. While there has been considerable focus on how to attract graduate millennials into the workforce, there [...]
Infrastructure to lift construction sector but risks are intensifying February 8, 2016 The UK's construction sector is forecast to have a strong year, but experts are warning of risks to the rosy outlook. The Construction Products Association (CPA) said today it expects construction output to climb 3.6 per cent this year and 4.1 per cent next year. Private house building is projected to rise five per cent in [...]