Northern powerhouse project: Finance, science, and tech industries creating two-speed housing market, could boost north June 24, 2015 A big boost for the northern powerhouse project? Areas that have embraced the science, technology and finance industries have enjoyed disproportionately high house price growth, according to research from Savills. The fillip given to areas with a large number of companies in key industries suggests encouraging growth in such industries in the north could lead [...]
Greek crisis: Leaked document shows creditors still at odds with Greece June 24, 2015 A document leaked this afternoon shows deep divisions remain between Greece and its creditors over crucial issues such as taxation and pensions. Read more: Can Greece get past its sticking points? The document, leaked to several sources including the FT, showed Greece's original proposals, heavily edited by its creditors. Issues such as VAT and pensions remain massively [...]
The world’s most entrepeneurial countries: Uganda tops the list while UK comes 37th June 24, 2015 Uganda is the most entrepreneurial country in the world, according to an analysis by Approved Index. Read more: Why the government's "Help to Grow" could transform UK entrepreneurship The African country, whose economy was devastated by dictatorship only a few decades ago, now has the planet's highest proportion of people who have started businesses. [...]
Fall in first quarter US GDP was less than we thought June 24, 2015 The fall in US first quarter GDP was less than we previously thought, after the Bureau of Economic Analysis revised its figure up. GDP contracted 0.2 per cent in the first three months of the year, less than the 0.7 per cent originally mooted. However, it's a fall from the first estimate of a 0.2 [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage approvals rise to their highest in 14 months June 24, 2015 Mortgage approvals continued their inexorable rise last month, figures published this morning showed, suggesting growth in UK house prices is unlikely to abate anytime soon. The figures, from the British Bankers' Association, showed mortgage approvals for house purchases rose to 42,530 last month, up from 42,020 in April – and way up on a 20-month [...]
Bank of England monetary policy committee could split over timing of first interest rate rise June 24, 2015 One of the MPC’s nine members, Dr Martin Weale, has indicated that the Bank of England should be prepared to raise the cost of borrowing as early as August. The comments indicate the monetary policy committee could soon face a split over when to raise interest rates from the historic low of 0.5 per cent they [...]
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras “confident on deal” despite Syriza rumblings June 23, 2015 Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras will meet with European officials in Brussels today as part of the attempt to hammer out an agreement over his country’s debts. Read more: What Yanis Varoufakis can learn from a real game theory master The Greek government yesterday expressed confidence that the country’s parliament would approve a [...]
Productivity puzzle solved? Productivity set to increase by over 10 per cent over the next five years June 23, 2015 Britons’ disposable income will be driven up from an increase in productivity over the next five years, but employment growth will not follow the same upward trend, according to research out today. Economists at Oxford Economics are predicting a dramatic turnaround with significant improvements forecast between 2015 and 2020. Productivity will rise by 10.7 per [...]
UK property prices: Property sales tick up in May – but the outlook is uncertain June 23, 2015 The number of UK residential properties sold climbed in May, new data show. A total of 98,540 properties changed hands, according to figures released by HMRC yesterday. It marks a rise on April’s 97,610. However the market is slower than it was a year ago when 101,710 properties were sold. The figures translate to a [...]
Cole Commission calls for an overhaul of export approach June 23, 2015 A review of the UK’s export industry has called for cabinet-level political leadership to boost firms’ access to foreign markets. The proposals suggested in the Cole Commission published today also include a public procurement strategy to encourage firms that sell to the government to help small and medium-sized UK firms start up their export operations. [...]