Letters to the editor January 21, 2013 North Africa crisis [Re: Does the crisis in North Africa represent the start of a new wave of global instability, yesterday] Media portrayals of recent events in Mali and Algeria paint a picture of a high-risk continent, blighted by radical jihadists, chronic instability and incompetent governments. But Africa is far larger and more varied than Europe, [...]
Persimmon says new strategy paying off July 3, 2012 British housebuilder Persimmon said it had made an excellent start to its new strategic plan by completing more new homes, attracting more viewers and selling them for a higher fee, giving it confidence for the full year. Britain’s largest householder by market value followed other property developers by saying that market conditions had been relatively [...]
Businessman who woke up and smelt the coffee February 24, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to Andrew Rugasira, the Ugandan entrepreneur with a new book and a Good African story to tell THE lives of 14,000 farmers in the Ugandan Rwenzori Mountains have been transformed since Andrew Rugasira had his lightbulb moment in 2002. At the time, he was running a prosperous marketing and events company in [...]
UK house prices stagnating November 29, 2012 UK house prices were flat during November, according to figures released by the Nationwide building society. Its survey said the average house price remained at £164,000 this month, the same as in October but 1.2 per cent lower than at the same point last year. Nationwide’s chief economist Robert Gardner said: “The resilience of employment [...]
Houses prices set to remain flat during 2013 December 6, 2012 HOUSE prices are set to remain flat in 2013, Halifax bank said yesterday, as weak economic growth and pressure on household finances continues to constrain demand. It also announced that the price of an average UK home rose by one per cent month-on-month to £160,879 in November. “We expect continuing broad stability in house prices nationally [...]
FTSE pauses for breath beneath the 6,300 mark February 11, 2013 BRITAIN’S FTSE 100 was lifted yesterday by strength in energy stocks and food retailers, but the index was still struggling to break through the four-and-a-half year highs hit at the start of February. London’s blue chip index gained 13.13 points, or 0.2 per cent at 6,277.06, holding within the 70-point range of the last five [...]
Mortgage approvals hit 10-month high January 4, 2013 The number of mortgage approvals hit their highest level since last January, data from the Bank of England showed today. Mortgage approvals hit 54,036 in November, the highest in 10 months, up from 53,071 in October. Before the 2008 financial crisis, monthly mortgage approvals ran at around 90,000, but the number of home sales has [...]
What the other papers say this morning February 4, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Whitehall departments face big cuts Several government departments will have lost more than £3 in every £10 they once had available for spending, by the time of the next election, according to Financial Times research. SGX in talks over LCH.Clearnet stake SGX, the Singapore stock exchange, is in discussions about taking a stake [...]
Shrinking populations will force nations to compete harder March 2, 2013 In the long run, Keynes used to say, we are all dead, meaning that we should care about fixing today’s problems regardless of any side-effects temporary solutions – such as increased borrowing – might eventually saddle us with. Like many of Keynes’ other soundbites, this one feels clever and self-evidently true – but in fact [...]
Why some businesses will fail to see the writing on the wall February 17, 2013 IMAGINE you invent the pen in a world of only pencils. You are so excited – you are going to change people’s lives! Pens are easier to write with, easier to read, and don’t need sharpening. You dream of success. Mixed in with your excitement is a dose of paranoia. Of course, anyone could steal [...]