Londoners hit by low mortgage approvals August 15, 2011 FALLING mortgage approvals have hit Londoners harder than people from any other region of the UK, according to a group of surveyors. Purchase approvals in the capital dropped 13 per cent on a non-seasonally adjusted basis in July after a push to meet lending targets in June, when approvals rose by 12 per cent. Across [...]
Inflation to stay above 4pc August 15, 2011 INFLATION in the UK could have slowed further in July, yet is expected to spike again in late summer and during autumn. July’s consumer price index (CPI) and retail price index (RPI) figures are set for publication this morning, with some analysts forecasting a fall to 4.1 per cent in the CPI, and for the [...]
Michael Page in boost from Asia August 15, 2011 RECRUITER Michael Page yesterday reported a jump in pre-tax profits, fuelled by a buoyant jobs market in Asia, but warned the UK outlook remains grim. The company saw international business overall outstrip the performance in the UK. Sales in Asia Pacific climbed 43 per cent to £76.7m, in the six months to 30 June. Meanwhile [...]
Same-store sales drop at H&M August 15, 2011 H&M, the world’s second-largest clothes retailer, said yesterday that its like-for-like sales fell six per cent in July as it suffered from weak consumer sentiment in Europe, its most profitable region. Sales at the group rose by three per cent in total, but comparables were poor once the 240 new stores opened over the past [...]
Companies step up share buy-backs August 15, 2011 The recent sell-off in the markets has prompted companies to increase the pace of their share buy-backs, suggesting that the industry views the recent upheaval in the markets as an opportunity rather than a crisis. WH Smith said yesterday that it was extending its buy-back programme up to £55m “in the light of the exceptional [...]
Virgin Media sells £340m UKTV stake August 15, 2011 VIRGIN MEDIA yesterday said it is selling its 50 per cent stake in UKTV to US operator Scripps Networks Interactive for up to £340m. The deal means Virgin, which sold Bravo and Virgin 1 to rival Sky last year for £160m, no longer owns any TV content. The firm, which has been mulling a sale [...]
Cameron puts riots down to moral collapse August 15, 2011 DAVID Cameron yesterday pledged to put the “broken society” back at the top of the coalition’s agenda, as he sought to flesh out the government’s response to the worst riots seen in Britain for generations. The Prime Minister, who was speaking in his Witney constituency, promised a “social fightback” to revitalise communities and said he [...]
Miliband says bankers are partly to blame for unrest August 15, 2011 ED Miliband, the leader of the opposition, yesterday said “greedy, selfish and immoral” bankers shared some responsibility for last week’s riots. The Labour leader said: “We can’t honestly say the greed, selfishness and gross irresponsibility that shocked us all so deeply is confined to the looters or even to their parents. “It’s not the first [...]
CITY VIEWS: DOES BRITAIN NEED AN AMERICAN SUPERCOP TO SOLVE ITS PROBLEM WITH GANGS? August 15, 2011 GRAHAM CONSTABLE | LLOYD’S OF LONDON “I don’t think it is necessary. It would be by-passing social issues that a supercop couldn’t change. Ultimately the US gang culture is different to ours and we should rely on our own expertise.” JOHNNY GODSON | TEK SYSTEMS “It depends on his experience in dealing with similar situations. [...]
Carlos who? Aguero is new City idol August 15, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY 4 vs SWANSEA CITY AS FAR as debuts go, Sergio Aguero’s will take some beating. A goal eight minutes after coming on, an assist to make victory safe three minutes later, and by the final whistle Manchester City’s £38m summer signing had crowned an electrifying 31-minute cameo with a thunderbolt second strike. Suddenly [...]
