FTSE down as storm clouds surround Osborne November 29, 2011 The FTSE opened down as stuttering UK growth cast a shadow over chancellor George Osborne’s Autumn statement on the economy to be delivered later today. Grim forecasts on growth from the OECD yesterday painted a bleak picture as the UK struggles to get its economic recovery into gear. The government has already indicated that billions [...]
Rebuilding UK infrastructure as an engine for growth is a task for private companies November 30, 2011 IN TUESDAY’S Autumn Statement, the chancellor committed an additional £25bn in public spending on infrastructure over the next three years. The importance of this promise isn’t in the Keynesian speed of the payback in employment (in fact modern road and rail infrastructure has long lead-in times), but in the significant benefits of great infrastructure in [...]
House prices supported by rising activity November 7, 2011 HIGHER activity in the property market has propped up house prices, according to two leading surveys of the industry. Yet while the market has perked up, activity remains slow by historical standards, with prices largely remaining flat over recent months. The Halifax reported a surprise 1.8 per cent spike in house prices last month compared [...]
Why the CBI was wrong to attack EC audit reforms December 6, 2011 AUDITING is at a crossroads. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, the Office of Fair Trading, the European Commission, the US audit regulator (PCAOB) and investors all have substantial concerns about the listed company audit model. John Cridland of the CBI outlined the case for resisting the EC’s new proposals in these pages last [...]
SELL November 24, 2011 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF KAY & CO, CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY Q.I’m about to put my house on the market – how long should I expect it to take me to sell my home? A.This is a tricky question to answer as time scales vary dramatically. However, on balance, in order to allow for a full [...]
PROPERTY NEWS October 20, 2011 MIRROR CRACK’D HOUSE TO RENT Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis are just some of the stars featured in Agatha Christie’s “The Mirror Crack’d”. So too is the Thatched House in Smarden, Kent, which was used as a setting for the 1980 film version. That very house is currently available to let through Savills [...]
PROPERTY NEWS October 20, 2011 MIRROR CRACK’D HOUSE TO RENT Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis are just some of the stars featured in Agatha Christie’s “The Mirror Crack’d”. So too is the Thatched House in Smarden, Kent, which was used as a setting for the 1980 film version. That very house is currently available to let through Savills [...]
Chancellor says EU could block Vickers November 15, 2011 THE UK is embroiled in a “vociferous” dispute with Brussels over regulations that would prevent the government from implementing its flagship banking and regulatory policies. At a committee of MPs and lords, chancellor George Osborne (pictured) admitted that he is concerned about current EU proposals on capital rules, which would make it impossible for the [...]
Chancellor says EU could block Vickers November 15, 2011 THE UK is embroiled in a “vociferous” dispute with Brussels over regulations that would prevent the government from implementing its flagship banking and regulatory policies. At a committee of MPs and lords, chancellor George Osborne (pictured) admitted that he is concerned about current EU proposals on capital rules, which would make it impossible for the [...]
Firms fear lack of global rules November 20, 2011 SIXTY-TWO per cent of multinational companies want greater harmonisation in how regulations are applied across borders, with the regulatory environment cited as the single biggest barrier to operating in some of the world’s key markets. The amount of companies wanting regulation to be applied in a more consistent way rises to 64 per cent among [...]