Small businesses grow more confident as hopes increase for an upturn in US January 10, 2012 CONFIDENCE in American small businesses has hit its highest level since last February as increasing numbers of firms looked to expand in December, according to data out yesterday from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). The small business optimism index rose by 1.8 points to 93.8. The index has now gained 5.7 points over [...]
High-end house prices on the rise in London January 8, 2012 TOP-END house prices in London have kept rising despite global economic uncertainty, according to data seen by City A.M. Properties worth between £5m and £10m grew in value by 3.5 per cent in the year to the end of September 2011, research from Investec reveals. Houses worth between £1m and £2m increased in value by [...]
CITY A.M. EDITOR ALLISTER HEATH December 22, 2011 THANKS to you, our readers, we are delighted to be able to announce that our first ever Christmas Appeal has raised £401,116 for a very deserving charity. As you know, the money will go to Opportunity International, our chosen partner for the appeal, and help it in its wonderful job of providing a range of [...]
US jobless claims fall to a three-and-a-half-year low December 15, 2011 THE NUMBER of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits dropped to a three-and-a-half-year low last week and factory activity in New York state scaled a seven-month high in December, more evidence of a pick-up in economic activity in the States. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000, the [...]
Lenders expect repossessions to rise in 2012 December 15, 2011 MORTGAGE lenders expect the number of repossessions to shoot up by over 20 per cent next year, figures out yesterday revealed. Around 37,000 properties have been repossessed this year, the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) estimates, and it expects the figure to rise to around 45,000 in 2012. And while mortgage lending grew in November [...]
PROPERTY NEWS December 15, 2011 DEMAND FOR PROPERTIES DURING OLYMPICS UPS THE RENTAL BAR Harrods Estates is marketing a number of luxury properties around the Olympic stadium for £40,000 to £80,000 a week – an increase of 220 per cent on their normal rental value. The dearth of properties in close proximity to the Olympic stadium has driven short-term rental [...]
Embrace new technology to get ahead of the competition December 14, 2011 AS WELL as regulatory compliance, insurance companies are being forced to adapt to new and ever shifting consumer demands. Technology is allowing insurers to innovate with products such as pay-as-you-drive insurance models, but also allows them to change the way that they interact with customers. CHANGING BUSINESS MODELS As in banking, it is no longer [...]
Top London house prices rise by £1,200 every day December 13, 2011 PRIME central London prices are still soaring, according to the Knight Frank index, while the Financial Services Authority (FSA) yesterday revealed mortgage interest rates declined in the third quarter of 2011. Prime prices in central London rose one per cent in November and 12.6 per cent in the last 12 months, taking the average price [...]
FSA could win veto on mega-takeovers December 11, 2011 THE City regulator could be given new powers to veto bank takeovers after the publication today of a controversial report into the collapse of RBS. The recommendation, believed to be included in the 500-page document prepared by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), is designed to prevent a repeat of the RBS-led €71bn (£49bn) takeover of [...]
MP triumphs as watchdog is set to publish and be damned December 11, 2011 MORE than a year after the City regulator released a paltry 298-word statement summarising its investigation into RBS, the publication today of a fuller report marks a victory for Andrew Tyrie, the chairman of the Treasury select committee. Tyrie led the public outcry when, last December, the Financial Services Authority cited legal reasons and refused [...]