Money supply starts to feel effects of QE June 2, 2010 THE Bank of England received some welcome news today after its preferred measure of broad money supply finally showed strong growth. M4X, which excludes activity between intermediate financial institutions, grew at a three-month annualised rate of 6.6 per cent in April. This is a pace not seen since before the collapse of Bear Stearns and [...]
Construction sector grows at fastest pace since 2007 June 2, 2010 THE construction sector expanded in May at its fastest pace since September 2007, with employment rising for the first time in two years, a survey of purchasing managers showed yesterday. The Markit/Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply construction PMI rose to 58.5 in May from 58.2 in April. May was the third consecutive reading above [...]
UK mortgage approvals rise June 2, 2010 British mortgage approvals rose slightly more than expected in April but net mortgage lending growth lagged, according to Bank of England data yesterday, suggesting a durable housing market recovery is still some way off. The Bank of England said mortgage approvals edged up to 49,871 in April from 49,008 in March and the highest since [...]
Australia’s growth slows June 2, 2010 Australia’s economy grew for a fifth straight quarter in the first three months of the year, but at a slower rate than the previous quarter. Official figures show GDP in the three months to March was 0.5 per cent higher than in the same period last year. Growth for the last three months of 2009 [...]
US jobs outlook starts to pick up June 2, 2010 The number of planned layoffs at US firms in May was almost unchanged from April, when they touched a four-year low, suggesting employers have more upbeat outlooks, according to yesterday’s report from recruitment firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Employers announced 38,810 job cuts in the month, slightly more than the 38,326 unveiled in April. The [...]
Camelot boosted in lottery sales surge June 2, 2010 CAMELOT yesterday announced its second highest sales since the launch of the national lottery 16 years ago. Sales hit £5.4bn in the year to 31 March – up £302.7m on the previous year. Over the past five years there has been a 14.4 per cent sales rise despite the global downturn which has hit consumers [...]
New Look shelves its plans for a fresh float as gains market share June 2, 2010 BUDGET fashion chain New Look said yesterday it has no immediate plans for a second attempt at a stock-market flotation. The company, which is owned by private-equity firm Permira and Apax, postponed plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in February after market conditions became difficult. The company hoped to raise £650m in the move, [...]
Topps Tiles predicts upturn despite seeing profit dive in tough trading June 2, 2010 TOPPS Tiles yesterday posted a ten per cent fall in first-half adjusted pre-tax profit as consumers curbed spending amid the downturn and said it expected trading in the retail sector to remain tough. The company, which sells wood and tile flooring from 309 stores in Britain, said total revenue for the first seven weeks of [...]
Fitch: Ratings risk posed by Solvency II June 2, 2010 EUROPEAN insurers may struggle to keep their credit ratings under stringent new capital requirements proposed by Brussels, assessment house Fitch warned yesterday. Insurance companies are expected to be ordered to increase the amount of capital they hold against their liabilities under Solvency II, the European Commission’s regulatory regime due to be introduced in 2012. In [...]
UK firms’ foreign takeovers hit record low in first quarter June 2, 2010 THE number of foreign firms bought by British companies and the amount spent on them fell to their lowest level in more than 20 years in the first three months of 2010, official data showed yesterday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said spending by UK firms on foreign acquisitions fell to £192m in the [...]