Inflated expectations are driving up sterling January 18, 2011 INFLATION is the curious way in which, over time, the same amount of money buys progressively less stuff. So it was strange to see yesterday that, as a result of higher than expected inflation in Britain, the value of sterling hit its highest level in two months. Against the dollar, the pound rose by about [...]
City workers are showing restraint when it comes to spending their annual bonus January 17, 2011 Despite reports of a growing sense of confidence in the City, with around half of the UK’s banking and financial professionals stating that they are feeling positive about the year ahead, City workers are apparently remaining much more cautious when it comes to spending. Whilst remaining outwardly bullish about their prospects for 2011 (around 41 [...]
What the other papers say this morning January 16, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS DIRECTOR TO STEP DOWN FROM BOARD One of the last Royal Bank of Scotland directors to remain on the bank’s board from the days of Sir Fred goodwin is poised to step down from his role. Colin Buchan, 56, a former UBS investment banker who until recently was chairman of RBS’s remuneration [...]
Bovis warns over weak mortgage volumes January 14, 2011 Bovis Homes expects full-year profit to come ahead of estimates on higher selling prices and plans to restart dividends, but the housebuilder warned of a subdued year ahead. “Mortgage approval volumes remain weak, with mortgage providers requiring high levels of deposit, particularly from first time buyers,” the company said in a statement. British homebuilders are [...]
Halifax: Modest decline in house prices signals price stagnation for coming year January 10, 2011 HOUSE prices dropped slightly in the final three months of the year, according to a Halifax study released yesterday. “Prices were 0.9 per cent lower than in the previous quarter,” said Halifax economist Martin Ellis. “This rate of decline is significantly less than the quarterly falls of five to six per cent during the second [...]
The odds on volatility shorten January 10, 2011 CFD MARKET STRATEGIST, GFT AFTER a strong start to the New Year, equities began to flag at the end of last week. Wednesday’s blow-out ADP employment numbers were largely ignored as investors held off for Friday’s non-farm payrolls. These proved to be a disappointment, despite upward revisions to the two preceding months. Apart from the [...]
Fed turns record profits over to US Treasury January 10, 2011 THE US Federal Reserve has reported its earnings jumped by more than 50 per cent to a record $80.9bn (£52bn) on its massive holdings of securities in 2010 and it will turn the bulk of it over to the US Treasury. The $78.4bn the Fed is remitting is also a record, and is $31bn more [...]
Key dates to watch in 2011 January 6, 2011 JANUARY is traditionally a month of self-imposed austerity and resolutions to do better. Despite a recovering economy, in an environment of high unemployment, rapidly rising prices and a less generous state, keeping one’s finances under better control ought to be topping many 2011 resolution lists. While the VAT rise will be foremost in all of [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 6, 2011 WHERE TO BUY IN 2011 Predictions for the property market may be uncertain, but independent homefinders network County Homesearch has named the areas it expects to be bucking the trend for sliding prices. These include perennial favourites like Alderley Edge in Cheshire, Exeter in Devon and East Hampshire, but it also names places such as [...]
Lenders expect stable credit conditions January 6, 2011 Lenders expect credit conditions to remain broadly steady in the first quarter of 2011 but are bracing for a further drop in mortgage demand and slightly higher losses from mortgage defaults, a survey by the Bank of England showed. The central bank’s quarterly credit conditions survey highlights the continued reluctance among banks to extend credit [...]