WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 14, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES FIRSTGREATWESTERN BACK ON TRACKA rail franchise that became notorious for large numbers of train cancellations and poor punctuality has shown sufficient improvement to be released from an intensive monitoring regime imposed by the Department for Transport. Lord Adonis, transport secretary, yesterday told the House of Lords that FirstGreatWestern had met the standards required [...]
Drop in house prices easing July 14, 2009 HOUSE prices only fell marginally in May compared to the previous month, taking the annual decline to 12.5 per cent, data from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) showed yesterday. In the three months to May, UK house prices fell by 0.4 per cent compared to a fall of 4.8 per cent in [...]
House prices boosted by fall in stock July 13, 2009 THERE were more definitive signs yesterday that the UK housing market is beginning to recover, according to June data from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The seasonally-adjusted balance of surveyors reporting falling rather than rising prices improved to -18.1 in June from -43.8 in May, the highest reading since September 2007. Housing market [...]
CITY VIEWS: HAS IKEA SAID GOODBYE TO ITS GLORY DAYS? July 7, 2009 ANDREW GARRARD WILLIS“It’s a sign of the times. Perhaps people have forgotten their old ‘Chuck out your chintz’ slogan, or maybe they’re moving on to the pound shop. Ikea is a bit of a first-time buyers’ store and obviously there are less of those around at the moment.” IAIN MUIRHEAD ITECH“It’s not an attractive store [...]
Scrap boosts new car sales July 6, 2009 NEW car sales in June fell at their slowest rate for nearly a year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said yesterday, as it praised the government’s scrappage scheme. The number of new cars sold in the UK last month totalled 176,264 – a 15.7 per cent drop on the June 2008 figure, according [...]
Number of mortgage products at all-time low as lenders withdraw July 6, 2009 THE VOLUME of mortgage products on offer has slumped to the lowest level on record, leaving homeowners with a severe lack of options for taking out loans as the recession continues to curb lending. Price comparison website Moneysupermarket.com said borrowers now have just 2,282 deals from which to choose, while first-time buyers have a range [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 28, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphCAMELOT LAUNCHES CONSULTANCYCamelot, the national lottery group, has launched a consultancy business to lotteries globally and is close to winning its first piece of business advising the California operator. Camelot Global Services, an independent company, is expected to be appointed as a consultant to the California State Lottery and advise the US [...]
YES, RECOVERY WILL BE LONG AND HARD June 28, 2009 JANE FOLEYRESEARCH DIRECTOR, FOREX.COM HAVING rallied between March and early June on the expectation that the global economic downturn could be in the process of bottoming, the market is displaying a reluctance to extend risk. The reason is clear – economic data may have improved, but they are not yet sufficiently strong to confirm that [...]
Regeneration is taking off in the Olympic quarters June 25, 2009 STRATFORD has long been one of those London areas that is supposedly on the verge of gentrification. The coming of the DLR, then the Jubilee Line, were meant to turn it into an up-and-coming area attractive to thrusting young professionals. It never quite happened. But last week, two things took place which mean that Stratford [...]
ANGLO SAYS NO TO XSTRATA MERGER June 22, 2009 ANGLO AMERICAN, led by chief executuve Cynthia Carroll, snubbed rival miner Xstrata’s takeover approach last night, calling its rival’s terms “totally unacceptable”. Anglo said Xstrata’s £40bn plus merger proposal was “unattractive” and would hurt its interests in the platinum, iron ore and diamond markets. Xstrata has strong coal and copper interests. Anglo added that its [...]