Stamp duty cut sees London house sales rocket 27 per cent July 28, 2020 The stamp duty holiday has significantly boosted London’s housing market, with new sales agreed up by over a quarter in just two weeks, new data has shown. UK house prices rose 0.2 per cent in June as a jump in demand for houses outstripped a fall in the number of sellers, the figures also showed. [...]
More than 60 per cent of London firms plan to lay off staff, survey says July 28, 2020 More than 60 per cent of London firms expect to lay off some of their furloughed employees, a survey has said, in a sign of the wave of unemployment that is to come. The Lloyds Bank business barometer found that just under one in five London firms who have used the scheme expect to bring [...]
Markets live: Aviation stocks drag on FTSE 100 but US stocks climb July 27, 2020 The FTSE 100 fell today as the UK added Spain back onto its quarantine list, but US stocks rose as investors pegged their hopes on the likelihood of more stimulus. The UK’s blue-chip index was down 0.2 per cent at 6,110 points in afternoon trading. The FTSE 250 was 0.6 per cent lower. Read more: [...]
German business morale picks up as recovery continues July 27, 2020 German companies became more optimistic in July after morale rose at a record rate in June as the economy continued to recover from coronavirus and as spirits were lifted by the EU’s €750bn (£680bn) recovery fund. The business climate index from respected think tank Ifo rose to 90.5 this month from 86.3 in June. It [...]
UK economy could take four years to recover, says EY July 27, 2020 The UK economy will take four years to return to its 2019 size as consumer caution and high levels of unemployment weigh on growth, economic forecaster EY Item Club has predicted. EY Item Club said it expects the UK economy to shrink by an enormous 11.5 per cent this year and then grow by just [...]
Markets live: FTSE 100 and US stocks drop sharply as US-China tensions flare July 24, 2020 The FTSE 100 and US stocks fell after US-China relations soured and rising coronavirus cases threatened the global economic recovery. London’s blue-chip index closed 1.4 per cent lower at 6,124 points, despite some better-than-expected economic data. The FTSE 250 closed 1.3 per cent down. Read more: Asian shares retreat as US-China tensions sour Germany’s Dax [...]
US economy: Demand hit by new coronavirus lockdowns July 24, 2020 The US’s private sector stabilised in June but demand faltered as states re-imposed lockdowns in response to rising coronavirus cases, survey data has shown. An early estimate of the IHS Markit purchasing managers’ index – a gauge of the health of the economy – hit a six-month high of 50 as output improved after the [...]
Three charts suggest a V-shaped recovery, but economists are sceptical July 24, 2020 British businesses reported the best growth in five years in July and shoppers spent their money at close to pre-coronavirus rates in June, data showed today in a positive sign for the UK economy. It was a stark contrast to two weeks ago, when figures showed that the economy undershot expectations in May with just [...]
Private sector grows at fastest pace in five years as UK economy reopens July 24, 2020 Britain’s all-important services sector grew at its fastest pace in five years in July as much of the UK economy reopened from the coronavirus lockdown, a survey has shown. Private sector output as a whole also grew at its fastest clip since 2015 as manufacturing production picked up speed, according to the early survey reading. [...]
UK bosses more positive on hiring but worried about economy July 24, 2020 Employers became more positive in July about making hiring and investment decisions for the first time since February, although more companies laid off workers as coronavirus bit the UK economy. Bosses’ confidence in bringing in new workers and spending to grow rose to a net level of four in July, according to the Recruitment & [...]