UK to dodge spectre of secular stagnation as investment rises September 28, 2015 Britain is set to avoid falling into “secular stagnation” – low inflation and interest rates holding back investment in advanced economies – according to forecasting group the EY Item Club. The think tank has reported that business investment in the UK has performed relatively strongly since the economy emerged from recession at the end of [...]
EU referendum: Bosses speak out on European Union benefits September 28, 2015 Nearly two-thirds of directors say that the benefits of Britain remaining in the European Union outweigh the negatives, according to a new survey out today. The Institute of Directors (IoD) polled more than 1,200 of its members earlier this year, finding that 65 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement “from my organisation’s perspective, [...]
UK wine-making industry enjoys sparkling good health and growth September 27, 2015 English wine-makers have enjoyed a vintage year, and are set to double in capacity and production over the next seven years. According to figures from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association released today, English vine-yards have grown, on average, 11 per cent a year over the last 10 years. There are currently 135 wineries producing [...]
British firms owe taxman £2.6bn worth of VAT September 27, 2015 British businesses are behind with VAT payments to HMRC to the tune of £2.6bn, due to clients not paying bills on time, according to research from finance firm LDF. It found one of the biggest causes of late payments to the government is that smaller firms are struggling to collect cash from customers, leaving them [...]
UK housing market: Property lending showing signs of rebound as banks resume financing September 27, 2015 Lending to the property sector is showing signs of recovery as the long-term decline in bank finance begins to slow, says commercial law firm EMW. In a report today, EMW says bank lending to investors in the property sector has levelled out over the past year, down just one per cent from £136.2bn in July [...]
SMEs paid out more in dividends over fears that taxes will increase September 27, 2015 The percentage of profits British small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) paid out as dividends last year rose to 63 per cent, up from 46 per cent the year before, according to accountancy firm Moore Stephens. The accountancy firm said today this was due to business owners reacting to concerns about possible tax increases following the [...]
Why Bank of England hawk Ian McCafferty voted for an interest rate rise September 25, 2015 The Bank of England's (BoE) solitary hawk, Ian McCafferty, has said he voted for an interest rate rise at the September meeting because inflation risks overshooting its short to medium-term target. McCafferty said inflation is being held down by temporary factors such as sharp falls in oil and commodity prices, and that it should return to [...]
Buy-to-let boom coming to an end? One in five landlords going out of business hit hard by tax break cuts September 25, 2015 Could the buy-to-let boom be coming to an end? The possibility of lucrative returns may have prompted many to invest in a buy-to-let property, but a new study suggests being a landlord may not be such a sure-fire investment after all. One in five landlords are forecast to be out of business within the next [...]
UK house prices: Supply of properties for sale crashes to 11-year low as National Association of Estate Agents warns “We’re reaching crisis point” September 25, 2015 The supply of houses for sale has slumped its lowest level for 11 years, exacerbating fears that housing affordability is set to continue declining. The number of properties available to buy per estate agent branch dropped to 38 in August, according to figures released today by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) – a [...]
Moody’s Analytics: Economists say Syrian migrants will boost the European economy September 25, 2015 Welcoming immigrants fleeing the turmoil in the Middle East is in Europe’s self interest, top economists at Moody's Analytics have said. Europe is suffering from dire demographic trends with fertility rates in most countries below self-replacement rates – implying populations are set to decline. It also means the share of elderly, which already exceeds the [...]