Growth set to continue as confidence in the economy builds August 22, 2024 A closely watched survey suggests that the UK will continue growing at a robust pace in the second half of the year as confidence in the economy continues to build. S&P’s ‘flash’ purchasing managers’s index (PMI) accelerated to 53.4 in August, up from 52.8 last month and ahead of the 52.9 expected by economists. PMIs, [...]
AI can jump-start UK productivity – we just need to get over our trust issues August 22, 2024 Artificial intelligence can be the productivity cure it promises to be - but we need a little trust, writes Daniel Pell.
Social rent increases may not ‘move dial’ on housebuilding, Rachel Reeves warned August 21, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ plans to increase social rent may not “move the dial in a material way” on council housebuilding, a corporate finance firm is warning. The Chancellor will reportedly up social rent by bringing in a decade-long formula to raise housing costs in England boosted by the CPI inflation measure – currently 2.2 per cent [...]
Watkin Jones: Property developer lowers profit guidance warning of ‘slow’ outlook August 21, 2024 Property developer Watkin Jones has warned investors that a “slower than expected” summer market and “uncertainty” over the pace of interest rate cuts will weigh on its full year results, as it lowered profit guidance. In a trading update, the Aim-listed firm, which in its half-year results in May returned to profit thanks to a [...]
Hold the champagne, the housing market upturn is meaningless without rental reform August 21, 2024 The recovery in the UK housing market recovery is redundant while the rental sector remains in pieces, writes Purplebricks CEO Sam Mitchell.
Pound edges above $1.30 as Fed expected to cut rates in September August 20, 2024 The pound has not traded above $1.30 on a sustained basis since mid-2022.
JP Morgan nudges up UK growth forecasts after latest GDP figures August 20, 2024 JP Morgan bumped up their growth forecasts for the UK economy in the third quarter of this year following last week’s GDP figures. The investment bank now expects the economy to grow 0.4 per cent between July and September, up from a previous estimate of 0.3 per cent. This equates to an annualised growth rate [...]
Compulsory liquidations hit highest level in almost six years August 20, 2024 New figures from the Insolvency Services showed that there were 320 compulsory liquidations in July, the highest number since before the pandemic.
The Notebook: So, when does Labour actually become pro-business? August 20, 2024 The honeymoon is over, Labour needs to start walking the walk when it comes to being pro-business, writes Michael Martins.
‘Even luxury is subject to constraints’: Global prime rental growth slows August 19, 2024 After record growth in the past two years, global prime rents have cooled down to long-term levels as supply constraints start to ease and renters hit their price ceilings, according to new data. Average annual rental growth was 3.5 per cent in the 12 months to the end of June 2024, down from 7.4 per [...]