US housing starts and building permits miss in August September 18, 2013 Disappointing numbers for the US construction sector. Building permits are down three per cent from 0.954m (revised from 0.943m) to 0.918m in August. Economists had expected growth to 0.95m. Housing starts are also ugly. They climbed 0.9 per cent from 0.883m to 0.891m, but missed analyst estimates of a jump to 0.917m. Paul Diggle, property [...]
Growth in new housing construction with London leading the way October 7, 2013 (Office for National Statistics) New housing has been one of the biggest areas of growth in the construction industry over the past six months, with orders coming in at the fastest rate since 2007, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS). (Release) After seasonal adjustments, the value of new housing orders rose by 16 per [...]
House building grows at fastest pace for decade October 2, 2013 THE RAPID upswing in the UK’s construction sector continued in September, with purchasing managers pointing to continued strong growth last month. According to figures released yesterday by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, residential construction grew at its fastest pace for nearly a full decade in September. The last time house building [...]
The Long View: UK leadership of the international space race isn’t entirely out-of-this-world November 14, 2013 WHO SAYS the sky has to be the limit? Britain’s space industry has ambitions to become a global leader. The sector’s new growth plan, announced this week, includes establishing a British spaceport within five years. It wants our 6.5 per cent share of the global space market in 2010 to be 8 per cent by [...]
Industry calls to limit lending won’t fix our bust housing system September 13, 2013 It's never encouraging when industry insiders fear that their own sector is overheating. That's the subtext from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), who've called on our central bank to cap annual house price inflation at five per cent. RICS suggest that the Bank of England should intervene, and attempt to curb lending in [...]
Builders signal August boost for construction September 3, 2013 THE CONSTRUCTION sector grew at its fastest rate since September 2007 this August, surging after a feeble start to the year, according to a survey of professionals. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for construction, collated by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, output is rising at the fastest rate since before the [...]
UK retail sales disappoint in October but retailers say it’s just a blip October 28, 2013 High street sales disappointed in October as the CBI distributive trades survey number comes in at 2 – the lowest number since June – missing expectations it'd fall slightly to 33 from last month's 34. Sales were flat in the year to October, too, dashing hopes of another solid rise. Robust growth is expected to return next [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 19 December 2013 December 18, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES UK losing ‘courageous instinct’ The UK is losing its “courageous instinct” on the international stage in what threatens to become the “most damaging” threat to armed forces in the future, according to the country’s most senior military officer. The chief of the defence staff, Sir Nicholas Houghton, warned on Wednesday evening in a [...]
Eurozone industrial production falls by 0.5 per cent November 13, 2013 Output in the Eurozone industrial sector declined by 0.5 per cent in September – more than the expected 0.3 per cent. This follows a rise of one per cent in August. Compared to September 2012, industrial production increased by 1.1 per cent in the euro area and by 1.2 per cent in the 28 EU [...]
Hays bullish after increase in UK hires January 19, 2014 Alistair Cox sees plenty of growth to come for British jobs, but skills shortages are a worry AFTER a torrid few years for the jobs market, the boss of the country’s biggest white-collar recruiter is feeling optimistic enough about the growing signs of recovery that he’s even planning to add some staff to his own [...]