London house prices: Year-long boom comes to an end October 28, 2014 London house prices fell steeply in September, following a year of exceptional gains across each of the capital’s boroughs. Data published yesterday by the Land Registry shows London house prices fell 0.7 per cent in just one month. However, prices are still elevated; they are 18.4 per cent higher compared with September 2013. The price [...]
UK firms expect moderation in rapid economic growth October 28, 2014 UK firms’ expectations of economic growth have seen a decline with weak global growth and low productivity hitting sentiment. Reductions in growth expectations have occurred in the manufacturing, distribution, and consumer, business and professional service sectors, according to survey data published today by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The CBI is forecasting 0.6 to [...]
Italian business morale rebounds October 28, 2014 ITALIAN business confidence took an unexpected upturn in October, with all surveyed sectors expressing renewed optimism. The overall business climate index rose to 89.3 from 86.9, according to data published yesterday by Italy’s national statistics office Istat – 100 marks the 2005 level. The overall increase was the result of a broad-based rise in sentiment [...]
Stocks dive in Brazil on Rousseff election victory October 27, 2014 Brazil’s stock market plunged and its currency, the real, fell sharply against the dollar yesterday as markets reacted badly to the re-election victory of centre-left President Dilma Rousseff. Brazil’s headline share index, the Bovespa, dived by 6.6 per cent in the opening hours of trading before recovering to a two per cent loss on the [...]
Results show Twitter may be losing steam October 27, 2014 TWITTER last night released a disappointing set of results with indicators of user engagement falling and the growth in active users showing signs of slowing. Timeline views per user, which measures engagement, slid seven per cent globally to 636 in the third quarter. Meanwhile, total timeline views of 181bn was below analysts’ expectations. The firm [...]
Cold weather boosts sales as shoppers buy winter wardrobe October 27, 2014 RETAILERS saw strong sales growth in the year to October after cooling temperatures prompted delayed purchases of winter clothes. Figures released by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) yesterday show 48 per cent of retailers reported a rise in sales volumes in the year to October compared to 17 per cent who said they fell. [...]
Confidence dip hits Germany’s recovery hopes October 27, 2014 BUSINESS sentiment in Germany continued its steep decline this month, dampening hopes that its economy will see an end-of-year recovery. The business climate index compiled by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research, a Munich-based research institution, fell to 103.2 in October from 104.7 in February, data released yesterday showed. The index reached a recent peak [...]
Eurozone lending and money growth show signs of thawing October 27, 2014 EUROZONE lending and money supply growth showed signs of recovery in September, new data has revealed. The figures released yesterday by the European Central Bank show that loans to firms fell by 1.8 per cent in the year to September. The fall marks a lesser decline than the two per cent figure for August. Loans [...]
Eurozone’s latest bond buying gambit gets off to a slow start October 27, 2014 THE EUROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) bought €1.7bn (£1.34bn) worth of bonds last week as it began its new purchase programme, data published yesterday reveals. The rate of purchases is slow. It would take at least six years for the ECB’s balance sheet to reach the size it was during 2012 – a target ECB president Mario [...]
Dentists forced to take a bite out of savings as credit stays tight October 27, 2014 Dentists are taking risks by loaning more of their own money to their practices as the sector suffers from a lack of credit availability. The amount of money loaned by directors of dental practices to their own firms was £23.8m in the past year up from £13.5m a year earlier, according to figures published today [...]