Strong start to 2014 as growth raises optimism January 20, 2014 CONSUMER confidence has ballooned over the past 12 months, with positive sentiment about the housing market nearly doubling from the beginning of last year. Lloyds’ spending power report for December, released today, says that the number of people with positive perceptions about the housing market has risen from 23 per cent at the end of [...]
The man putting new power into Battersea Station April 7, 2014 Rob Tincknell talks to Kasmira Jefford about British buyers and a new breed of nesters ROB TINCKNELL is leading the way up a flight of steps to the roof of Battersea Power Station’s marketing suite. “We have got to be really quiet,” he whispers, as he opens the door onto the terrace and points to [...]
The Clegg cliché: How politicians turn fact into fiction March 31, 2014 IT’S TIME to cast aside the dogma and look at the facts”. Sound familiar? Anyone who watched last week’s Europe debate between Nigel Farage and Nick Clegg would have seen the latter use lines like this. But this is more than just rhetorical cliché. It’s part of a narrative that permeates far more widely than [...]
Property market prices and rents to keep rising in 2014 January 7, 2014 HIGHER demand and a dearth in supply will continue to fuel rising prices and rents in the commercial and residential markets in 2014, according to the latest research by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL). The property group predicts London prices will jump eight per cent this year, albeit a slight slowdown on last year’s 11 per [...]
How Britain can rebuild welfare with the power of individual contributions April 15, 2014 THE TWO great legacies of post-war socialism were the NHS and the Beveridge system of welfare. Designed for a different world, with a younger population and lower life expectancies, both are seen as politically untouchable, impossible or at least very difficult to reform. Periodic attempts to introduce internal market mechanisms to drive efficiency in the [...]
Builders shrug off wet February March 4, 2014 THE UK’S rapid construction growth continued despite February’s terrible weather, with firms reporting only a minor slowdown in the recent rapid expansion. The headline score of the most recent purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) was 62.6 for the construction sector. The figure is down from [...]
Cost of a London home climbs to over £400,000 January 29, 2014 THE AVERAGE price of a London home broke through the £400,000 mark at the end of last year according to official figures published yesterday, while prices across the country continued to grow this month. Two separate surveys – released by the Land Registry and Nationwide – told a familiar story for the residential property market, with [...]
Can you handle these 3 facts on immigration? March 5, 2014 Last night, a Newsnight report claimed the publication of a much-anticipated cross-governmental report on immigration has been put off by Downing Street, because it points to immigration having a smaller impact than the government claims. The BBC's detailed how Number 10 sources have said the report isn’t ready for release, but how, according to officials, [...]
How fear of globalisation could propel Miliband into power March 25, 2014 THE IMPROVEMENT in the economy has seen a narrowing of the gap in the opinion polls between the Conservatives and Labour. In the key marginal seat of Bury North, a Tory gain in 2010 by just 2,200 votes, the party even took a council seat from Labour recently. Bill Clinton famously said about elections that [...]
Sophos refinancing includes a euro loan to satisfy demand January 19, 2014 COMPUTER security company Sophos, owned by private equity giant Apax Partners, has carved out a quarter of a $400m (£243.6m) loan for syndication in euros due to increased demand from investors. The Oxford-based business, which offers anti-spyware and anti-virus software to businesses and consumers, refinanced its debt pile through the $400m seven-year loan marketed by [...]