The short-term outlook for the British economy is very bullish November 13, 2013 IT’S official: even the Bank of England now agrees that the economy is recovering. It has hiked its growth forecast for this year and next (to 1.6 per cent and 2.8 per cent) and has been forced to concede that unemployment is falling far more quickly than it had been expecting. In a drastic dilution [...]
Goldman Sachs hikes UK growth forecasts September 26, 2013 Goldman Sachs has upped its growth projections for the UK from its February forecast. The UK is now forecast to grow 2.3 per cent in 2014 up from two per cent, 2.5 per cent in 2015 up from 2.3 per cent and 2.7 per cent in 2016 up from the 2.6 per cent. They forecasts [...]
First time buyer loans swell by nearly a third September 10, 2013 MORTGAGE lending to first time buyers has jumped upward, rising by 31 per cent to £8bn in the year to June, according to Bank of England figures released yesterday. New government schemes to boost activity in the housing market appear to have had the desired effect in the second quarter, as the Funding for Lending [...]
Lenders to face crisis survival tests every year October 1, 2013 BRITAIN’S biggest lenders will be put through their paces every year to see if their capital buffers will keep them afloat through a range of possible economic stresses and strains, the Bank of England said yesterday. The new tests aim to make sure banks’ capital buffers are adequate, and to standardise the approach taken to [...]
The French build three times more new homes than we do August 16, 2013 THERE is a first time for everything. Today, I’m going to praise something about the French economy – well, sort of, at least. This year is proving to be “bad” for housebuilding in recession-hit France, so there were “just” 342,000 housing starts in the year to June 2013, down 14.2 per cent on the previous [...]
Move into the heart of city living October 24, 2013 Make a smart international investment or simply live among some of the world’s most famous landmarks There are certain things non-Londoners take for granted that seem like every-day miracles to those living in the capital. Walking to work is one of them – the morning commute is inescapable in the Big Smoke. You can also [...]
Letters to the editor for – 03/09 – UK risk disease, Help to Buy, Best of Twitter September 2, 2013 UK risk disease [Re: Both Left and Right should fear the threat to medical research in the UK, yesterday] London has the capacity to build a world class cluster for biomedical innovation. But John Hulsman highlights a stark example of a risk averse culture in this country – a disease we need to treat if [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 25 November 2013 November 25, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Trafigura sells Puma stake for $500m Trafigura, one of the world’s largest commodities trading houses, has raised $500m from the sale of a 10 per cent stake in Puma Energy in a deal that makes a stock market flotation of its fast-growing petrol station and oil terminal unit less likely. The company, which [...]
Moshi Monsters firm hopes to branch out October 2, 2013 THE COMPANY behind the Moshi Monsters games is sizing up expansion through new devices and brands as well as overseas after posting a 63 per cent surge in annual revenues. Mind Candy posted revenues of £46.9m for 2012, two thirds of which was made in the UK, while pre-tax profits rose from £9.8m to £10.1m. [...]
UK economy improving but far from cured December 8, 2013 THERE can be no doubt that this Winter Budget – as it should really have been called – was a great win for George Osborne. For the first time since around 2007, Britain is moving in the right, rather than the wrong, direction. Growth has bounced back, the deficit is falling, employment is surging, unemployment [...]