‘Bond market tantrum risks’: Gilt traders brace for Labour leftward pivot as Starmer future uncertain
Rail lines and car parks: How 325,000 homes could be built on public land to help tackle housing crisis in London and the UK November 2, 2017 Building above rail lines could result in the creation of around 250,000 new homes in London, according to a report out today. Meanwhile, another new piece of research said car parks too are ripe for development, with the potential to build around 400,000 homes on car parks across the UK, 75,000 of which would be [...]
Pound sterling (GBP) plunges against the dollar (USD) and euro (EUR) as Bank hikes interest rates November 2, 2017 The pound dropped dramatically by almost one per cent against the dollar in the moments after the Bank of England raised the base rate for the first time in 10 years. Sterling fell 0.91 per cent against the dollar, and 1.32 per cent against the euro after the central bank’s decision was announced. Seven members [...]
Bank of England raises interest rates for the first time in a decade November 2, 2017 The Bank of England’s top economists today voted to raise its key interest rate, bringing to an end an extraordinary 10-year period without a hike despite internal dissent about its decision. Seven members of the rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC), including governor Mark Carney, voted in favour of a 0.25 percentage point hike in bank [...]
London house prices: Now a forecast says house price growth won’t rise until 2020 November 2, 2017 House prices will contract in London this year and next, a new forecast has suggested, before finally beginning to rise in 2020. Prices in the capital will fall 1.5 per cent this year and two per cent in 2018, then remain flat in 2019, before rising five per cent in 2020. In total, house prices [...]
Rugby World Cup 2019 fixtures: England to face France in likely group decider while New Zealand and Springboks do battle on opening weekend November 2, 2017 England will play France in their final Pool C match at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, a potential decider that arrives straight after they take on the other heavyweights in the group, Argentina. The Red Rose’s opponents meanwhile will have their tougher fixtures broken up by supposed easier games against the group’s minnows Tonga and [...]
Former Tory chief whip Gavin Williamson appointed as defence secretary November 2, 2017 Former Tory chief whip Gavin Williamson has been appointed as Theresa May’s defence secretary. The appointment comes after Michael Fallon was forced to resign his position last night following accusations of sexual misconduct. As chief whip, Williamson played a crucial role in ensuring the government pushed through votes with its wafer-thin majority. Read more: Michael [...]
Getting tough on information illiteracy November 2, 2017 In the twentieth century, we saw opportunity worldwide change as literacy rapidly shifted from being an advantage for the privileged to becoming a necessity and a requirement in everyone’s education. Just as literacy emerged as a key factor in driving progress then, in the digital-first era of today, it’s going to be data literacy that [...]
Bitcoin price: The cryptocurrency is trading above to $7,000 for the first time November 2, 2017 Just over 24 hours after it passed the $6,500 mark, bitcoin soared past another psychologically significant level this morning, rising above $7,000. The cryptocurrency hit $7,010 in mid-morning trading, up more almost four per cent, as it continued to climb following the announcement by US exchange operator CME Group that it will launch Bitcoin futures [...]
Construction PMI: UK construction sector crept back into positive territory in October November 2, 2017 The pound edged off lows in morning trading after a closely-watched index suggested the UK’s construction industry showed a very slight expansion in October. IHS Markit’s purchasing managers’ index for the construction industry rose to 50.8 in October, up from 48.1 in September and ahead of expectations of 48.0. Any figure below 50 denotes a [...]
RSA share price dips as insurer reveals impact of recent hurricanes in the US and Caribbean November 2, 2017 Insurer RSA booked a £50m loss over the recent hurricanes in the US and Caribbean, but said markets were “largely unchanged” elsewhere in the third quarter. The figures The group reported year-to-date net written premiums of £5.1bn in the third quarter, up eight per cent from the same period of 2016. UK premiums rose five [...]