US consumer still lacking in confidence October 27, 2009 DETERIORATING US consumer confidence yesterday dealt a sharp blow to hopes of a sustainable recovery in the world’s largest economy, despite house price data showing a modest improvement. The headline consumer confidence index slipped back to 47.7 in October from 53.4 the previous month and worryingly, still remains well below the 61.4 mark seen at [...]
REGULATION WILL EXCITE THE MARKETS March 22, 2010 POLITICAL issues look like dominating markets this week. This started on Sunday when President Obama’s healthcare reform was passed narrowly by the House of Representatives. In France, Nicolas Sarkozy has seen his party battered in regional elections and tomorrow we have the last budget before the UK election. Finally, there is the European summit, which [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING April 19, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES HCL FUELS DEBATE The head of one of India’s biggest IT outsourcing companies has waded into the debate on UK public sector efficiency savings, complaining of an “old boys’ network” in government procurement. Vineet Nayar, chief executive of HCL Technologies, hit out at the “stranglehold of a few companies” in Britain’s £17bn market [...]
CITY VIEWS: ARE YOU WORRIED THAT HOUSE PRICES COULD SOAR OUT OF CONTROL AGAIN? October 6, 2009 TONY DOONA CARILLION“I don’t believe they will get out of control, in fact I think they’re more likely to go down again. There’s a shortage of cash in general and it’ll be no better next year. There’s no construction going on, simply because no one has any money. I can’t see the government doing anything [...]
Portsmouth falls victim to Premiership excesses February 25, 2010 DEBT-RIDDEN Portsmouth will officially become the first Premier League club to go into administration today. Owner Balram Chainrai took the decision after failing to strike a deal with four potential buyers in time for the winding-up order in the High Court on Monday. Portsmouth will now be docked an automatic nine points – a move [...]
The sun is shining on property in the Med March 11, 2010 THIS year’s freezing winter may well have proved a tipping point in your decision to invest in a sunny property abroad – and it couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Possibly by the time the time London’s largest overseas property fair, A Place in the Sun (held at Earl’s Court) rolls around 26-28 Mar, [...]
Tips for bagging yourself a new-build bargain in a difficult market November 19, 2009 POLLY COLDWELL, DEPUTY EDITOR OF FIRST TIME BUYER MAGAZINE:1) Ensure the property is big enough for your belongings. Check that there is somewhere to put your hoover, etc. Garages have shrunk as well: measure it to make sure your car fits. 2) New builds are rated for their energy, water and waste under the Code [...]
A helping hand to lift you on to the property ladder October 22, 2009 GETTING on the property ladder is notoriously difficult in London. But if you’re one of the thousands of young professionals earning a decent salary – but still not able to fork out the post-credit crunch minimum deposit of 20 per cent in order to attain a mortgage- then you may have more options than you [...]
SPREAD BET GURU March 28, 2010 JOSHUA RAYMOND MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, with the EU and IMF finally agreeing a bailout for Greece, what is the focus now for the euro? A. Make no mistake, the constant uncertainty within the Eurozone concerning the spiralling deficit problems of Greece and the other so-called Pigs nations has been a major factor [...]
London house prices hit by March slump March 14, 2010 HOUSE prices have come to a standstill this month as sellers return to the market after a dismal winter. The latest survey by property website Rightmove shows that UK property is now a buyers’ market and new sellers have been forced to ask for just 0.1 per cent more, the lowest rise ever-recorded in March. [...]