austerians take on the keynesians June 29, 2010 BORIS SCHLOSSBERG DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY RESEARCH, GFT WILL the new Austerians or the old Keynesians win the public policy debate on economic growth going forward? The contrast between the two became evident last weekend at the G20 summit when the UK and the US moved in opposite directions. The new Austerians were led by the [...]
Q&A: BUYING February 4, 2010 Q.Dear Camilla, I am thinking about selling my home this year. But is it the right time given that there is both economic and political uncertainty at the moment? A.There has been a lot of positive press about property prices in recent weeks, which should support the UK housing market. For example, mortgage lender Nationwide [...]
FULL-YEAR TRADING UPDATE INTERVIEWS January 7, 2010 IMRAN AKRAM | COLLINS STEWART “Persimmon is the first housebuilder to report a solid trading update. Volumes were 12 per cent lower year-on-year but picked up in the second half of last year. Net debt was better than expected. Bovis and TaylorWimpey are our top picks but we continue to see upside to our target [...]
High demand keeps house prices rising January 11, 2010 BRITONS’ unflagging demand for property is continuing to boost house prices, albeit at a slower pace than before, the latest monthly survey from the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors (RICS) will say today. The balance of estate agents reporting rising rather than falling prices fell back to 30 per cent in the three months to [...]
There’s money to be made in London bricks and mortar January 31, 2010 ONLY a year ago, property prices were plummeting across the country. But news on Friday from mortgage lender Nationwide that UK house prices surged 1.2 per cent this month – the biggest monthly rise since August and a number that beat expectations of a meagre 0.3 per cent gain – was cause for optimism. The [...]
Osborne’s FSA reforms will cost consumers July 13, 2010 DURING the last few months, we have seen George Osborne outlining various plans for the future of UK regulation and a commission established to look into splitting up the banks. This has left some areas of the industry uncertain as to who is going to be supervising them and concerned that if we do not [...]
UK retail sales plunge in May May 27, 2010 UK High Street sales fell to a 14-month low in May, casting a shadow over the fragile recovery on the high street. The CBI’s monthly distributive trade report said poor weather and a slowdown in the housing market had driven down consumer demand. Pay squeezes and job insecurity also contributed to the drop. The business [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 25, 2010 THE SUNDAYS The Sunday Telegraph FUND CHIEF SLAMS OFWAT One of Britain’s leading investors in the UK’s water industry has said that Ofwat is “dysfunctional” and should be merged with the electricity regulator, Ofgem. Neil Woodford, leading fund manager for Invesco Perpetual, said that the water regulator did not understand the equity market and that [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 25, 2010 THE SUNDAYS The Sunday Telegraph FUND CHIEF SLAMS OFWAT One of Britain’s leading investors in the UK’s water industry has said that Ofwat is “dysfunctional” and should be merged with the electricity regulator, Ofgem. Neil Woodford, leading fund manager for Invesco Perpetual, said that the water regulator did not understand the equity market and that [...]
Tax is a matter for UK government, not the EU June 13, 2010 THIS week, in a speech to leading figures from across the financial services industry at Mansion House, George Osborne will outline the government’s plans for reform within the banking sector. One of the most significant proposals I have no doubt the Chancellor will touch upon is his determination to introduce a “bank tax” in the [...]