Market volatility could be an opportunity for smart investors October 22, 2014 It’s common knowledge among successful investors that, if you’re likely to be buying investments over a long period of time, it’s going to work in your favour if the price sometimes goes down. Global stock markets have lost around 8 per cent since early July. Is now a good time for adventurous investors to put [...]
Bank of England’s MPC still split 2-7 on interest rate rise as eurozone and China pressures take their toll October 22, 2014 Minutes of September's meeting of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee (MPC) show its members have become more pessimistic about the chances of raising interest rates early, as the impact of wobbles in China and the eurozone began to be felt in the UK. Policymakers said headwinds facing the economy – such as weak [...]
Gordon Brown made Britain stronger and fairer: He deserves recognition December 2, 2014 I FIRST joined Gordon Brown, who has just announced he is standing down as an MP at the next election, back in 1989. I left the Treasury to work for Labour in its new Economic Secretariat (consisting of me and one other), created by Gordon to increase the level of economic expertise Labour had. It [...]
House prices show market finally cooling September 8, 2014 HOUSE prices rose by just 0.1 per cent in August, according to the Halifax index, showing that the UK’s fast-moving property market is finally slowing down. The small increase took the average price to £186,270, with prices in the three months to August three per cent higher than the previous quarter and 9.7 per cent [...]
Budget 2015: Here are George Osborne’s best quotes plus his Budget speech in full March 18, 2015 George Osborne's final Budget during this parliament had few surprises but plenty of great quips, including – to the dismay of bookies everywhere – a quip about Ed Miliband's now-infamous second kitchen. Here's a selection of our favourites from today's big speech. (Source: Getty/City A.M.) (Source: Getty/City A.M) (Source: Getty/City A.M.) [...]
Autumn Statement 2014: What does George Osborne’s budget mean for you? From single parents to entrepreneurs December 3, 2014 THE SINGLE PARENT Catherine Gannon, 51 Managing partner of law firm Gannons Gannons Commercial Law continues to perform extremely well as profits and earnings increase on last year. Catherine is commercially savvy and has recently restructured the business from an LLP to a Limited Company due to the new Legislation covering LLPs. This illustrates that [...]
Crossrail will send London property prices soaring by 60 per cent October 1, 2014 Crossrail’s high-speed rail service will not only provide millions with increased connectivity into the capital, but it will send house-prices along its route skyrocketing, new figures show. The £15.8bn Crossrail project has already had a profound effect on properties in London, with the prices of those near the large-scale Tottenham Court Road development rising [...]
China inflation slows to near five-year low of 1.6pc in September October 15, 2014 After yesterday’s surprise slowdown pushing inflation to its lowest in five years in the UK, the world’s second largest economy experienced a similar unexpected turn. Consumer inflation in China slowed more than expected to a near five-year low, coming in at 1.6 per cent in September, just under the 1.7 per cent expected and a [...]
SMPC votes 7-2 against rate hike November 5, 2014 OUR GUEST panel of city economists has voted strongly in favour of keeping the Bank of England’s policy rate at its record low of 0.5 per cent. The biggest concerns were low inflation – consumer price inflation fell to just two per cent in September – and further weak inflation in the coming months as [...]
Mortgage approvals fall again in September as cooling measures take effect October 23, 2014 The number of mortgages approved by banks fell 10 per cent in September compared with a year ago, figures published by the British Bankers' Association showed. The fall came after "cooling measures" introduced by the Bank of England, which make prospective borrowers undergo "stress tests" to figure out whether they can afford a loan, came [...]