Why it’s no time to be complacent about the UK’s inflation problem November 12, 2013 THE SURPRISE fall in the annual inflation rate in October to 2.2 per cent on the consumer price index and 2.6 per cent on the retail price index is obviously welcome news. However, it’s too soon to be complacent. It also reminds us that inflation has been consistently above the Bank of England’s 2 per [...]
Sorry to be a party-pooper, but this is the wrong kind of growth October 31, 2013 EVEN the Bank of England sometimes makes mistakes. It was forced to correct its most recent data on consumer borrowing yesterday, in a development that confirmed what many of us feared all along: credit is beginning to surge dangerously. Yes, the economy has rebounded; but in many ways we are seeing the wrong kind of [...]
Why the London Docklands hold the key to tackling the UK housing crisis October 1, 2013 HOW DO we solve Britain’s housing crisis? Ed Miliband has promised to see 200,000 homes built each year by 2020. But his pledge was linked to a misguided initiative to stop developers hoarding land (the Office for Fair Trading couldn’t find any evidence that this actually happens). The Tories, meanwhile, are bringing forward the second [...]
Why the London Docklands hold the key to tackling the UK housing crisis September 30, 2013 HOW DO we solve Britain’s housing crisis? Ed Miliband has promised to see 200,000 homes built each year by 2020. But his pledge was linked to a misguided initiative to stop developers hoarding land (the Office for Fair Trading couldn’t find any evidence that this actually happens). The Tories, meanwhile, are bringing forward the second [...]
Cameron puts European rights law on notice September 29, 2013 DAVID Cameron yesterday indicated that he is ready to pledge to abolish the Human Rights Act in the Conservatives’ manifesto for the 2015 general election. The Prime Minister said he would do “whatever that takes” to ensure Britain can deport foreign criminals that the government believes pose a threat to national security, including replacing the [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 26 September 2013 September 25, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Nokia asked Elop to give back €18m Nokia’s chairman asked Stephen Elop, the Finnish group’s former chief executive, if he would forgo part or all of his €18.8m pay-off several days ago as the furore over it grew. People close to Nokia said that as pressure mounted over the weekend from Finnish politicians, [...]
Tory row as Boris takes on Osborne’s housing boom September 18, 2013 BORIS Johnson yesterday said only building more houses would help Londoners get on the property ladder – just as chancellor George Osborne denied there is a housing bubble in the capital, and argued subsidising mortgages will help buyers the most. In the week it was revealed house prices rose at almost 10 per cent in [...]
New York Report: Obama curbs market gains with debt talk September 16, 2013 US stocks advanced yesterday after former Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers withdrew as a candidate for Federal Reserve chairman, lifting some market uncertainty about what was heading towards a contentious confirmation process. Early enthusiasm faded, however, after President Barack Obama stood firm in warning Republicans in Congress he will not negotiate over an extension of the [...]
Number of first time buyers up by 45 per cent September 5, 2013 THE NUMBER of first time buyers has swelled as the housing market begins to rebound, with LSL Property Services suggesting a 45 per cent increase in the 12 months to July. There were 26,100 people buying homes for the first time in July, up by over 8,000 through the year, with LSL’s figures suggesting that [...]
US pending home sales suffer biggest monthly fall this year August 28, 2013 US pending home sales fell by more than expected in July, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The pending home sales index fell by 1.3 per cent from the month before to 109.5 – the biggest fall this year. This follows a 0.4 per cent drop in the month to June. [...]