UK house prices bounce back April 8, 2010 HOUSE prices increased for the eighth time in nine months in March, but experts warns more property being put up for sale could dampen further inflation. The latest house price index shows prices rose by 1.1 per cent during March, partly offsetting February’s 1.6 per cent fall. The rise means prices during the first three [...]
To understand the future of law, look back April 6, 2010 LAW firms are currently experiencing change like never before. In the last two years, many firms have seen their revenues and profits decline for the first time in over a decade. They’ve had to let go many talented lawyers, both at partner level and below. Clients who used to accept above-inflation fee increases each year [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 31, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BARRISTER’S EX-WIFE WINS PAYOUT AFTER 25 YEARS A leading barrister has been ordered to pay his former wife a lump sum of £215,000 – 25 years after they divorced. David Vaughan QC, an expert in European law, had been been paying his former wife Philippa an annual sum of £27,175. But in November [...]
Button down on Sepang bid March 30, 2010 WORLD champion Jenson Button, fresh from a superb triumph at the Australian Grand Prix, has moved to dampen expectations ahead of this weekend’s race in Malaysia. The Englishman’s cunning early switch to slick tyres saw him sweep to a first victory of the season at Albert Park on Sunday. It also lifted Button to third [...]
House prices rise but double dip fears persist March 30, 2010 HOUSE prices managed to rise 0.7 per cent in March on the previous month, mortgage lender Nationwide reported yesterday. However, the gain did little to dispel fears of a double-dip in the housing market as buyers exercise caution ahead of the election. Martin Gahbauer, chief economist at Nationwide, said: “The last two months are consistent [...]
Mandelson to create a Post Office bank March 28, 2010 LORD Mandelson will turn the Post Office into a “People’s Bank” if Labour wins the general election. Key to the initiative is a potential deal with RBS and Santander to allow the banks’ customers to access the new Post Office accounts, and its subsidised offers. Negotiations are underway as the government seeks to ensure at [...]
Labour sees seats boost post-Budget March 28, 2010 LAST week’s Budget might have got a kicking form most in the City, but spread betters continue to short David Cameron’s Conservative party. “This is the first time that Labour’s popularity has jumped after a budget since Gordon Brown became prime minister,” says Chris Shillington from Extrabet. For the Conservatives to win an outright majority [...]
SPREAD BET GURU March 28, 2010 JOSHUA RAYMOND MARKET STRATEGIST josh@cityindex.com Q. Dear Josh, with the EU and IMF finally agreeing a bailout for Greece, what is the focus now for the euro? A. Make no mistake, the constant uncertainty within the Eurozone concerning the spiralling deficit problems of Greece and the other so-called Pigs nations has been a major factor [...]
City rates the Budget 3.8 out of 10 March 25, 2010 ALISTAIR Darling must try harder. That was the verdict of our panel of City and business professionals, who gave the chancellor’s Budget on Wednesday a score of 3.8 out of 10. The City A.M./PHI Panel, which has been specially recruited to represent London’s financial and business community, was asked to score some of the measures [...]
Foreigners to avoid Darling’s stamp duty March 25, 2010 WEALTHY foreigners will avoid paying Alistair Darling’s latest stamp duty hike on properties worth over £1m at an opportunity cost of tens of millions to the Treasury’s coffers, it emerged yesterday. Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), which are set up offshore for the purpose of holding property, own a large amount of the UK’s high-end estates. [...]