Construction work coming in at quickest rate seen this century October 22, 2014 THE CONSTRUCTION sector is continuing to pick up momentum, with workloads rising at their quickest rate for 20 years, new survey data shows today. The survey undertaken by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) uses net balances – the proportion of people giving a positive response minus the per cent of those giving a negative [...]
Surprise as UK construction falls by 3.9 per cent in August October 10, 2014 UK construction contracted by 3.9 per cent in August – far worse than the 0.5 per cent expansion predicted by economists. Surprisingly almost no one saw this coming: a Bloomberg poll of analysts predicted a 0.5 per cent rise: 4.4 percentage points too optimistic. Every analyst polled by Bloomberg predicted expansion. As the Office of [...]
Skills shortage in construction or property to push up wages by as much as 10pc, says Hays October 9, 2014 Recruitment giant Hays said yesterday that skill shortages were pushing up some white collar salaries as much as 10 per cent, despite sluggish wage growth across the economy as a whole. A booming jobs market has resulted in the firm placing 20 per cent more staff in its latest quarter than in the same period [...]
Construction in London dodged recession’s bite October 8, 2014 CONSTRUCTION in the capital has been invulnerable to the financial crisis and the following recession with growth now predicted to surpass its trend level. The last three months will have seen activity soar above its pre-crisis trend, according to data from Scape, a government owned construction company. The remaining figures are from the Office of [...]
Record boom in construction adds kick to economic growth October 2, 2014 CONSTRUCTION is booming, posting its strongest three-month expansion for 17 years and helping to fuel growth. That is according yesterday’s publication of the purchasing managers index (PMI) by Markit and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, which scored 64.2 in September. This an increase from 64 in August as the survey measure stays well [...]
UK construction output flat in July on back of slowing housebuilding market September 12, 2014 The UK's construction output was flat in July, according to month-on-month figures out this morning from the Office for National Statistics. On an annual basis, output has risen 2.6 per cent – the slowest rate of growth since November, and down from June's three month high of 5.3 per cent, the data showed. Could [...]
Ashtead thanks recovering construction markets for record profits September 3, 2014 As the housebuilders surf the wave of rising house prices, so too does Ashstead, supplier of construction tools. The company, which rents plant machinery and other tools to the construction industry, released its first quarter results today, showing record rises in pre-tax profits and revenue, enough to encourage an upward adjustment of expected full-year results. Profit [...]
UK construction index surges ahead of expectations September 2, 2014 UK construction powered ahead last month, with the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) rising above consensus expectations. August's construction PMI rose to 64 – its highest since January, and well above the consensus line of 61.5. The markets had been expecting a drop from July's level of 62.4. It is also above its average [...]
Eurozone construction declines for second month running August 20, 2014 Construction output in the Eurozone has fallen yet again. From May to June, output went down by 0.7 per cent according to Eurostat, the statistical office for the European Union. This follows May's similarly disappointing result, when construction fell 1.4 per cent compared to April. Before that, the Eurozone had seen largely positive [...]
UK trade deficit widens but construction is up August 8, 2014 The UK's trade deficit widened in June for the third consecutive month, going up to £2.5bn from May's figure of £2.4bn. Trade deficit is a measure of the difference between a country's imports and exports – and is a contributing factor to overall economic growth. Goods trade deficit In June, exports of [...]