Easy does it: How to find value in the new normal November 10, 2015 October's relief rally in equity markets should have provided just that – relief. The trouble is that, with positions washed out, sentiment still fragile and macro data still mixed, few participated fully in the move and many simply didn’t believe in it. Many commentators – bullish and bearish alike – appear very happy to [...]
Governor Mark Carney: The out-of-touch boyfriend – CNBC Comment November 10, 2015 The only thing worse than an “unreliable boyfriend” is one who relentlessly aims to please but fails to understand what his partner really needs. Despite his best intentions, he disrupts the relationship through an improper assessment of the situation at hand. Meet the “out-of-touch boyfriend”. The latter label arguably became a more apt characterisation [...]
Three unusual ways to boost productivity: Restrictive social media policies can be counter-productive November 10, 2015 It's not rocket science that you can increase employee output by giving staff more flexibility and freedom. However, a new report commissioned by Red Letter Days for Business, entitled “What’s killing UK productivity?”, has produced some unusual findings. Surveying 2,000 employees, it revealed that those with the highest output are likely to be late for [...]
Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2015: UK shoppers holding out to snap up bargains in November pushed October sales down November 10, 2015 UK retail sales were disappointing last month, according to a survey by the British Retail Consortium released today, suggesting that some shoppers may be holding out for some deals around Black Friday at the end of November. Retail sales decreased 0.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis from October 2014, when they were unchanged from the preceding [...]
Moody’s warns of global shockwaves as fallout from China slowdown threatens growth prospects November 10, 2015 Global economic stability is at risk from financial shocks in the face of a bigger-than-expected fallout from China’s slowing growth, a new report from Moody’s has warned. The credit ratings agency also said that policymakers may find it difficult to act against potential shockwaves as they “lack the ample fiscal and monetary policy buffers” needed to [...]
Don’t get too excited about the slower pace of rent rises, Londoners still pay £800 a month more than the rest of the UK November 10, 2015 Average rent in London, is 108 per cent higher than the rest of the UK, at £1,560 per calendar month, compared to £749 a month. Rents in the UK, excluding London, were up 3.5 per cent on the three months to October 2014, but the rate of increase has continued to slow since the July [...]
The government’s Help to Buy scheme almost doubles number of high loan-to-value mortgages with five per cent deposits for first-time buyers November 10, 2015 The government's Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme has almost doubled the number of high loan-to-value mortgages, for buyers who only have a five per cent deposit. The number of 95 per cent loan-to-value mortgages (LTV) issued, for buyers who need to borrow 95 per cent of property's value for a mortgage, increased by nearly [...]
EU referendum: Cameron spells out his demands, saying reform is not Mission Impossible November 10, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron will insist that his European Union reform agenda is achievable when he spells out his top demands today. In a major speech this morning at Chatham House, Cameron will say that his desired changes to Britain’s relationship with the European Union are “eminently resolvable, with the requisite political will and political [...]
New Policy Exchange report: Government should radically overhaul energy regulation November 10, 2015 A leading Westminster think tank is today calling for a “radical overhaul” of energy regulation ahead of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) later this month. In a new report out today, Policy Exchange says that by consolidating the 30 different bodies that are responsible for energy policy, regulations and rules, the government could save [...]
UK risks EU fines after losing control of the rudder on renewable energy targets November 9, 2015 The UK will miss its renewable energy target by 25 per cent, according to a leaked government letter. Energy secretary Amber Rudd said the UK was unlikely to hit its target of having 15 per cent of the nation’s energy come from renewable sources by 2020. “The absence of a credible plan to meet the [...]