UK services sector returns to growth in October as business activity jumps November 4, 2015 A bit of good news for those in the UK's dominant services sector: the sector bounced back in October, after a disappointing September. The Markit/CIPS services business activity sector rose to 54.9 in October, above the consensus of 54.5, way above the 50 point which denotes expansion, and up from the disappointing reading of 53.3 [...]
Price of petrol and diesel falls for the fourth consecutive month in October – and comes close to its 2009 low November 4, 2015 Petrol and diesel prices continued to slide for the fourth month in a row in October, new figures suggest, with diesel hovering close to the low price it hit in 2009. Unleaded fell to 107.82p during October, from 109.45p at the start, making filling an average family car 90p cheaper, RAC said this morning. That's [...]
UK house prices: Persimmon share price falls despite jump in sales November 4, 2015 Are housebuilders finally feeling the heat? FTSE-listed builder Persimmon reported a 12 per cent sales hike in the third quarter this morning – but shares continued to slide after the sector had a spot of bother with a broker yesterday. The figures Sales were 12 per cent higher in the period since it reported its half year results on [...]
GLA Conservatives estimates £576m per year tied up in spare London rooms and encourages Londoners to try out AirBnB November 4, 2015 London’s spare rooms could be worth £576m a year, according to Greater London Authority (GLA) Conservatives. Tony Arbour, GLA Conservatives Assembly tourism spokesman, has argued that half a million people in the capital could rent out a spare room to help pay their bills, which would also bolster London’s tourism industry. According to the GLA Conservatives’ [...]
Dovish statements from ECB president Mario Draghi send the euro tumbling again November 3, 2015 The euro fell against the pound and the dollar last night, following European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi reiterating the dovish comments he made in October. Speaking at a cultural event in Frankfurt, Draghi repeated that the ECB would review the degree of monetary stimulus required at the next governing council meeting in December, [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 marginally up despite slides from housebuilders and Standard Chartered November 3, 2015 The FTSE 100 closed marginally up on Tuesday after energy stocks rallied to counter to slides in housebuilders' stocks and Standard Chartered's share price. The FTSE 100 ended the session 0.2 per cent up at 6,374. Housebuilders were hit after being downgraded by Liberum, a broker, to "sell" saying the largest housebuilders' valuations were "too optimistic". Barratt [...]
London house prices: Renting in the capital? These are the best postcodes to find a flatshare in London, based on supply and cost-per-month November 3, 2015 Renting in London? You're not the only one. More and more of the capital's population are living in shared flats and houses – but it's been leading to some pretty extreme situations. There's been a mattress in a cupboard in Clapham, on offer for a snip at £500 a month (excluding bills). Then there was the [...]
UK house prices: It’s not just London where luxury house price growth is slowing – prime property price growth is slowing across the world November 3, 2015 It's well known that price growth among London's most high-end properties has slowed in recent months as various factors – including a punishing stamp duty regime and a slowdown in China – took effect. But it turns out it's not just London where prices have slowed: growth is slowing across the world. The Prime Global Cities [...]
EU referendum: More than half of Londoners believe Brexit will boost house prices November 3, 2015 On the fence about Britain’s EU membership? If you’re a London homeowner, this news may sway you. More than half of Londoners believe that leaving the EU will strengthen the value of their home. (No mean feat when the capital’s housing market is already the most overvalued in the world.) Across the nation, homeowners are [...]
University education is failing to create work-ready students November 3, 2015 More than half (54 per cent) of education experts believe that post-secondary educational institutions, such as universities, fail to adequately prepare students for work, a World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) study has today revealed. Despite this, 69 per cent of the 1,550 educational experts from around the world, including teachers and education policymakers, questioned [...]