http://www.investortoday.co.uk Daily Investment News Copyright 2007 Investor Today http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2818&type=news_features By Mike Jones Beyond the political and economic fallout of the Greek debt crisis and turmoil in the government bond markets in Europe, real estate investors are pondering the implications for the property sector. A new report by CB Richard Ellis – which considers whether increases in government bond yields in a... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:37 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2817&type=news_features Thursday 4 March When Zidan (only a missing 'e' prevents him from dining at football's top table) put Egypt into a well deserved lead after 23 minutes, all looked rosy in my garden. When I left you last week, I wrote of my determination to get with the visitors and my... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:12 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2816&type=news_features By Mike Jones The balance between supply and demand shifted toward the supply side as the new instructions net balance outpaced buyer interest for the second consecutive month, according to RICS latest UK Housing Market survey. New instruction and new buyer inquiries rebounded in February following a weather-skewed dip in January with... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:59:00 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2815&type=news_features By Mike Jones The UK may have officially crept out of recession but concerns of a "jobless recovery" loom as employers expect a slow return to hiring stability. Recruitment and outsourcing specialist Manpower published data from one of the first forward-looking labour market surveys since the recovery began. The data shows... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:58:38 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2814&type=news_features By Mike Jones UK online recruitment activity rebounded from January’s seasonal slowdown, according to the latest Monster Employment Index which rose by 13 points (12%) in February. The increase is an improvement of 6% from a year ago, reflecting continued acceleration in its long-term growth trend to suggest a continued firming in underlying... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:58:16 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2813&type=news_features By Mike Jones International investment management firm Baring Asset Management (Barings), has announced the two-week initial offer period for the new Baring MENA Fund will open on Monday 15 March. The fund will employ an actively managed strategy using a bottom-up Growth at a Reasonable Price investment philosophy. The fund portfolio is... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:57:55 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2812&type=news_features By Mike Jones Millions of people are missing out on better deals due to a failure to switch providers, new research from Santander Current Accounts has revealed. While one in four Britons have switched an insurance provider in the last 12 months, and one in five (21%) have switched a gas, electricity... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:57:34 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2811&type=news_features By Mike Jones Barclays has launched four new savings and investment products. The new range includes a competitive cash ISA paying an initial 3.06% gross/3.10% AER interest variable, a fixed-rate investment ISA that offers either an income or growth option paying 20% or more over five years, and a new instant access... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:57:14 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2810&type=news_features By Mike Jones Four out of five consumers last month described themselves as either regular or occasional savers - the highest figure since May 2008, according to Nationwide. This improvement could be as a result of a combination of factors. As shown recently in the most recent Nationwide Consumer Confidence Index, consumers'... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:56:54 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2809&type=news_features By Mike Jones Costs incurred in managing, fighting and defending personal injury claims are adding an average of an astonishing £183.33 in invisible costs to the running a UK household, according to analysis by ethical claims advisors, itsmyclaim.com. Of the £10billion estimated by the Association of Actuaries each year on personal injury... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:55:53 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2808&type=news_features Calendar - Period - Event 0500 CH Feb Trade balance .2bn 0500 CH Feb Exports/Imports(YoY) 38.3%/38.0% 0700 DE Feb CPI (MoM/YoY) 0.2%/0.4% 0700 DE Jan Trade balance/Current Acct EUR 16.4bn/17.0bn 0745 FR Jan Indust Prod (MoM/YoY) 0.2%/1.7% 0930 UK Jan (MoM/YoY) 0.3%/-0.8% 0930 UK Jan (MoM/YoY) 0.3%/1.4%   ... Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:45:57 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2807&type=news_features Calendar Period Event 0001 UK Feb BRC Retail Survey (YoY) 0001 UK Feb RICS House Price Survey (YoY) 0500 JP Jane Coincident/Lending Comp Index 0745 FR Jan Trade Balance 0815 SW Feb CPI (MoM/YoY) 0930 UK Jan Global/Non-EU Trade Balance 2200 US ABC Consumer Confidence ... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:08:57 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2806&type=news_features By Mike Jones The UK economy has taken another turn for the worse after its goods trade deficit with the rest of the world in January unexpectedly widened to its biggest since August 2008. Exports saw their sharpest drop in more than three years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:41:35 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2805&type=news_features Hargreaves Lansdown offers the following guide to Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs)... What investments can I choose with a SIPP? Since pension regulations were made more straightforward in April 2006, almost everyone in the UK is eligible to make a choice between a conventional Personal Pension and a Self Invested... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:35:46 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2804&type=news_features By Mike Jones A gambler who placed a series of long-range bets before he died could win £340,000 for charity. Nick Newlife staked a series of tennis and cricket bets between 2000 and 2005. When he died last year Newlife left everything - including proceeds from the outstanding bets - to Oxfam in... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:29:38 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2803&type=news_features By Mike Jones The majority of landlords support stronger regulation of buy-to-let mortgages and advice, according to a survey conducted by LSL Property Services. But not all landlords are the same, so the Treasury and FSA must resist the temptation to impose "one size fits all" regulation, David Brown, LSL Commercial Director,... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:29:16 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2802&type=news_features By Mike Jones A Conservative Party win at the forthcoming general election will not make any difference to house prices and mortgage availability. That is the verdict of 53% of Savills Private Finance clients. A further 35% of clients who responded thought a change in government would be a positive influence while 10%... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:28:54 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2801&type=news_features By Mike Jones euro zone countries are reported to be considering setting up a localised version of the International Monetary Fund. The idea behind the plan is to avoid another crisis similar to the one which has currently engulfed Greece. Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper: "We shouldn’t... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:28:33 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2800&type=news_features By Mike Jones It is now a year since the Bank of England dropped interest rates to their current historic low of 0.5%. In that time some of the biggest lenders have increased competitiveness, while others appear less willing or able to do so. According to Moneyfacts, while state-funded Royal Bank of Scotland... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:28:07 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2799&type=news_features By Mike Jones Last year saw the lowest number of M&A deals in the hotel sector globally for a decade, but with some confidence returning to the wider economy, appetite is growing. That was the verdict of Richard Hathaway, Head of Travel, Leisure and Tourism at KPMG, speaking at the start of... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:27:40 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2798&type=news_features By Mike Jones The Institute of Directors (IoD) is urging the next Government to take measures to cut the budget deficit as soon as it takes office. Launching its Business Manifesto 2010 for the general election, the IoD said: * Provided fiscal tightening is based on lower public spending and not higher taxation,... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:27:18 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2797&type=news_features By Mike Jones Employers should not be able to penalise staff for using the toilet in work time, and should provide their employees with clean, modern lavatories. That is the plea from the TUC which is calling for a change in the law to bring workplace loos into the 21st century. Back in... Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:26:46 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2795&type=news_features Calendar Event Period 0645 SW Feb Unemployment Rate (Norm/SA) 0730 FR BOF Business Sentiment 0815 SW Real Retail Sales (YoY) 0930 EU Mar Sentix Investor confidence 1100 DE Jan Industrial Production (MoM/YoY) 1315 CA Feb Housing Starts ... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:24 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2794&type=news_features By Mike Jones Ahead of the Chancellor’s forthcoming Budget, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has published its latest Economic Forecast. The business group maintains a prediction of 1.0% GDP growth in 2010, but it has downgraded its growth expectations for 2011 because the obstacles to a sustained medium-term recovery now... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:53:36 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2793&type=news_features By Mike Jones Voters in Iceland have rejected proposals to pay the UK and the Netherlands following the collapse of the Icesave bank. It is estimated around 90% of voters said "No" to the deal in a referendum. The British and Dutch governments want to get back £3.4billion they paid out in compensation... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:53:11 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2792&type=news_features By Mike Jones French President Nicolas Sarkozy said his country would stand "resolute" with Greece as it imposed austerity measures to reduce its 12.7% deficit. Sarkozy spoke during a meeting with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou. Papandreou, while appreciating the French support, said help from the International Monetary Fund might still be needed. He... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:52:49 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2791&type=news_features By Mike Jones Commercial property enjoyed a re-acceleration of capital growth in February, bouncing back after a slower than expected start to 2010. According to the latest CB Richard Ellis Monthly Index, capital values rose by 1.4% in February - producing total returns of 2.0% for All Property. Central London offices once again... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:52:29 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2790&type=news_features By Mike Jones The most striking feature of the UK national accounts data for Q3 2009 was the sharp rise in the household savings ratio to 8.6%, somewhat above its long-term average of around 7.6%. But a more detailed analysis of the figures by economists at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) shows that:... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:52:08 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2789&type=news_features By Mike Jones The threat of a hung parliament saw sterling slip sharply downwards against the US dollar last week. The FTSE 100 meanwhile stormed ahead, rising 4.6%, as a weak pound means more exports. The pound is now trading at just over US .51 - but analysts fear it could be as... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:51:46 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2788&type=news_features By Mike Jones The latest United States Bureau of Labor Statistics release shows that total non-farm payrolls fell by 36,000 in February. Though higher than the 26,000 jobs lost in January, it is lower than the consensus expectation of 50,000 lost jobs for the month. According to cebr economist Arek Ohanissian, revisions... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:51:22 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2787&type=news_features By Mike Jones February saw a 26.4% rise in the new car sales to 68,686 units with the scrappage scheme accounting for 19.6% of the total rise in the month's new car market. This growth was led mainly by private buyers. Nevertheless, according to KPMG, the automotive industry is feeling the strain... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:51:01 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2786&type=news_features By Mike Jones Global interdealer broker ICAP has announced that average daily volumes on its electronic broking platforms BrokerTec and EBS again demonstrated strong growth, with February 2010 volumes of US 5.3billion single count, an increase of 22% on the previous year. Total average daily volumes in fixed income products on the... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:50:37 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2785&type=news_features By Mike Jones British employers spent £6billion on redundancy payments last year. The payouts show the scale of efforts firms are using to bring down the wage bill as they face the downturn. The HMRC data shows severance payments for the year to the end of March rose 25% on the £4.5billion forked... Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:50:02 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2784&type=news_features By Mike Jones The row between Germany and Greece over its debt crisis has intensified after two German politicians said it should consider a fire sale of land, historic buildings and art works. Why not sell a few uninhabited islands or ancient artefacts, asked Josef Schlarmann, a senior member of Angela Merkel's... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:54:33 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2783&type=news_features By Mike Jones After seven months of slow but steady growth UK house prices fell back in February, according to the latest Halifax House Price Index. Last month prices dropped 1.5%, making the average UK home worth £166,857. Martin Ellis, housing economist, said: "House prices fell by 1.5% in February, the first decline... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:54:12 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2782&type=news_features By Mike Jones Over the last decade there has been a growing trend towards buying homes in far-flung and emerging destinations, often to capitalise on rising property values. However, in today’s economic climate, buyers have reverted back to traditional, established second home destinations and buying for lifestyle, rather than purely investment purposes... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:53:48 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2781&type=news_features By Mike Jones Retired homeowners have total property wealth owned outright of up to £765.18billion as the housing market continues its fragile recovery, according to research from equity release adviser Key Retirement Solutions. The launch of Key Retirement Solutions’ Pensioner Property Equity Index, which will track the property wealth of the over-65s... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:53:24 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2780&type=news_features By Mike Jones UK consumers on average lose £4950 each in their lifetime on faulty goods they have failed to take back to the shops, according to a survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). The research was undertaken as part of the "Know Your Consumer Rights" campaign which... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:52:53 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2779&type=news_features By Mike Jones As the latest US jobless statistics are released, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) compares its own recent quarterly Labour Market Outlook (LMO) survey with a similar US survey by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). The findings show that while US employment levels are set... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:52:31 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2778&type=news_features By Mike Jones The pound might be struggling - but the UK economy would be a lot worse off if Britain had joined the euro. That is the verdict of a Japanese industrial giant operating in the UK.   Masahiro Sakane, chairman of Komatsu, the world’s second-biggest manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, said that... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:51:58 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2777&type=news_features By Mike Jones As expected, the Bank of England yesterday left both aspects of its monetary policy on hold. Interest rates remained at 0.5%, where they have now been for 12 months and the asset purchase facility stayed at £200billion, with further increases in quantitative easing not ruled out but unlikely until... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:51:05 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2776&type=news_features By Mike Jones The new car market climbed 26.4% year-on-year in February to 68,686 units, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Private buyers led growth with business demand also strengthening, while the Scrappage Scheme accounted for 19.6% of the February new car market. "Scrappage has... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:50:40 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2775&type=news_features By Mike Jones Whitbread-owned chain Costa Coffee has enjoyed a 9.5% rise in like-for-like sales in the three months to the middle of February, the company said. Part of this is reported to be attributed to the newly-launched flat white - originally popular with Australians and New Zealanders. The flat white differs from... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:50:17 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2774&type=news_features Calendar Period Event 0800 SP Q4 Industrial Prod (YoY) 0930 UK Feb Input PPI (MoM/YoY) 0930 UK Feb Output PPI (MoM/YoY) 1100 DE Feb Factory Orders (MoM/YoY) 1330 US Feb Chg in Non-Farm Payrolls 1330 US Feb Unemployment Rate ... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:39:08 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2773&type=news_features Calendar Period Event 1000 EU Q4 GDP (QoQ/YoY) 1200 UK BOE Rate Decision 1245 EU ECB Rate Decision 1330 US Q4 Non-farm productivity 1330 US Initial/continuing Jobless Claims 1500 US Jan Factory Orders 1500 US Jan Pending Homes Sales (MoM) ... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:12:39 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2772&type=news_features By Mike Jones Rumours of the death of sterling have been exaggerated, it appears. Yesterday the pound bounced back 0.3% to US .5001. This followed statistics from Nationwide which saw Uk consumer confidence reach a two-year high. The recovery follows a week of turbulent trading which has seen the pound battered by both... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:51:22 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2771&type=news_features FA Cup Quarter-Finals        If spread bettors were asked to pick the last eight of the FA Cup in August, I doubt there would have been many to select the teams that will do battle at the weekend. Reading are the Championship’s lone representative and they face Aston Villa. The other... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:50:56 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2770&type=news_features By Mike Jones For many buyers contemplating a move and seeking reassurance, the tabloid headlines and conflicting research reports issued in February will have done nothing to steady nerves and provide a clear and concise view of the property market, according to the latest Monthly Market Review from property search... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:49:53 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2769&type=news_features By Mike Jones With the Bank of England's Montetary Policy Committee likely to keep interest rates at their record low it will be exactly a year since rates hit 0.5%. But when will they rise again? Interest rates were cut in a bid to stimulate the troubled housing market and keep the... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:49:27 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2768&type=news_features By Mike Jones Prime London residential prices are now reaching spring 2008 levels, according to a number of leading estate agents, with very strong rates of growth being recorded over the last six to eight weeks. Prices are reported to be back to the sort of growth rates achieved during the... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:49:07 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2767&type=news_features By Mike Jones Greece will be offered a European Union bail-out provided it makes austerity cuts of £4.4billion to reduce debt. A European meeting is scheduled to take place in a fortnight to resolve the Greece crisis - although Greece has said it will go to the International Monetary Fund for... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:48:41 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2766&type=news_features By Mike Jones Barclays Wealth is suggesting a shift back towards traditional money market instruments. Its "Compass" investment calls for March include: * Stay overweight equities, but in some cases consider hedging; * What the UK Election means for investors; * Gradually prepare portfolios for interest rates rises; * Buy a currency-hedged basket of Japanese... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:48:22 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2765&type=news_features By Mike Jones Growth of permanent staff placements accelerated in February, reaching its strongest since July 2007, according to the latest Report on Jobs published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG. Temporary/contract staff billings also increased, although the latest rise was the slowest in three months. Overall demand for staff continued... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:47:35 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2764&type=news_features By Mike Jones The amount of money the population is saving has this winter decreased to its lowest level for more than two years, according to NS&I's Savings Survey. On average, the British public is now setting aside 6.25% of their monthly take-home income. This figure has fallen consistently since this... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:47:13 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2763&type=news_features By Mike Jones As the first anniversary approaches of the Bank of England keeping the Base Rate at its historic record low of 0.5%, moneysupermarket.com has revealed the winners and losers from this cut. Hannah-Mercedes Skenfield, mortgage expert at moneysupermarket.com said: "Undoubtedly the biggest winners from the fall in interest rates... Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:46:51 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2762&type=news_features Calendar Period Event 0001 UK Feb Nationwide Consumer Conf 0700 DE Jan Retail Sales (MoM/YoY) 0858 EU Feb Services PMI 1000 EU Jan Retail Sales (MoM/YoY) 1200 US Feb MBA Mortgage Applications 1315 US Feb ADP Employment Data (MoM) 1500 US ISM Non-Manufacturing Index ... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:50:39 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2761&type=news_features By Mike Jones Food and fuel price rises have left Britain with the highest inflation rate in the Western world. New figures show the UK has been hit by significant increases in the cost of food while many similar countries had falls. Energy price rises have also been higher here than in most... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:50:26 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2760&type=news_features Thursday 25 February When you’ve sold £150 of goals at 2.1, sold £5 of shirts at 37 and £5 of goals multiplied by corners at 21, the last thing you want is an early goal. I sat down to watch last night’s Inter Milan v Chelsea game and was still readjusting... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:49:40 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2759&type=news_features By Mike Jones Access to a good school is a major consideration when parents with school-age children decide where to live, but homes with access to high-quality schools come with a significant house price premium attached, a survey by Savills Research has shown. And this premium has increased as a result of... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:48:38 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2758&type=news_features By Mike Jones The "lost generation" has been hit hard by the economic downturn as young adults have struggled to get jobs and make ends meet, so they are having to rely on their parents more than ever for support. According to research from the fourth annual Scottish Widows Savings and Investment... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:48:14 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2757&type=news_features By Mike Jones A supply shortage is continuing to fuel the country homes market, according to the latest Country Market Comment - research by The Buying Solution. Managing Partner Philip Selway said: "A continued supply shortage across all regions means that good houses are selling well under competition. "There is a dearth of... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:47:50 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2756&type=news_features By Mike Jones A group of wealthy Manchester United fans known as the Red Knights are putting together a bid for the club. They want to buy United from current owners, the US Glazer Family. But they face a serious fight to get control of the debt-hit club after the Glazers said it... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:46:45 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2755&type=news_features By Mike Jones Half of Britons (24 million) have no insurance in place to cover loss of income through illness or death of a breadwinner. Even those that have considered taking some action would be underinsured by an average of £14,500 per year, research commissioned by Friends Provident revealed. Alarmingly, a third of... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:45:26 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2754&type=news_features By Mike Jones The latest Lloyd's Emerging Risks report, Behaviour: Bear, Bull or Lemming? analyses behavioural risk and the errors in human reasoning. Using behavioural theory, the report examines a variety of typical biases in human thought processes which, once known, can help organisations to manage risk better. Human beings, while often rational,... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:45:03 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2753&type=news_features By Mike Jones As economic turbulence seemingly subsides the UK hotel industry, led by London, has sighted its first glimpse of growth – PricewaterhouseCoopers has revealed. Despite a RevPAR decline of almost 10% in 2009, the PwC report forecasts growth of over 3% this year and nearly 5% in 2011. This is... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:44:31 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2752&type=news_features By Mike Jones Inflation remains subdued in the euro area, according to the latest data from Eurostat. The statistical agency indicated that inflation in the euro zone was expected to be 0.9% in February. This was below expectations of a 1.0% increase in prices among economists polled by Reuters and compares to... Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:44:00 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2751&type=news_features By Mike Jones For weeks the euro has been under pressure from speculators as Greece's huge debts put the euro zone in turmoil. Will Greece be kicked out of the euro zone, would the currency itself collapse? Neither, it seems, for now. And while the cash crisis facing a number of euro zone economies... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:11:21 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2750&type=news_features By Mike Jones Sex toys are the No1 item left behind by tenants when they move out of a property, according to a new survey by The Deposit Protection Service (DPS). In a poll of more than 1000 landlords across the UK, sex toys were the most frequently left behind item landlords... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:10:59 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2749&type=news_features By Mike Jones Home ownership has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years, according to a Government-commissioned report unveiled by the British Property Federation. The English Housing Survey, commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government, found just 67.9% of English households owned their home, the lowest percentage since 1991. There... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:10:29 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2748&type=news_features By Mike Jones Property prices in Central London are bouncing back strongly, according to the latest Knight Frank Prime Central London Residential Index. Prices have now risen by 19% in the last 10 months, and are now only 10% below the market peak in March 2008. Last month prices in central London rose... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:10:00 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2747&type=news_features By Mike Jones Amid mounting concerns of a double dip recession, the economy is also under threat from "twin peaks" in inflation, warns the latest Business Trends report by accountants and business advisers BDO. The BDO Inflation Index rose from 99.2 to 100.2, reaching its highest level since December 2008, indicating that... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:09:34 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2746&type=news_features Turbulent economic times and the global recession are putting pressure on tax departments to deliver greater value and effectively manage risk - despite significant resource constraints. Yet, a new survey from KPMG International shows that in this environment those companies which get the basics right are better able to balance the... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:08:54 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2745&type=news_features By Mike Jones The UK’s leading business groups have formed a unique coalition promoting an internet petition that calls for the 1% employer National Insurance Contributions increase - planned for April 2011 - to be scrapped. The petition, found in full at the dedicated website www.no-nics-rise.co.uk, says: "We, the undersigned, call upon... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:08:10 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2744&type=news_features By Mike Jones Nick Skiming, Investment Manager, Ashburton American Equities considers the outlook for the US economy. He said: "The US economy appears to be past its worst stage, and for investors who wish to avoid the Sovereign worries of Europe, or the volatility of Emerging markets, they may be pleasantly surprised... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:07:42 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2743&type=news_features By Mike Jones Prudential is set to undertake the world's biggest rights issue to finance the takeover of AIG's Asian assets in a US .5billion deal. Prudential will pay AIG US billion in cash plus US .5billion in shares. To finance the acquisition, the company plans to raise US billion from investors. This... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:07:13 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2742&type=news_features By Mike Jones Firms operating in the UK’s service sector saw volumes of business stabilise in the last three months, according to the latest CBI Service Sector Survey. However, the situation differed between the Consumer Services sub-sector, where there was a slight improvement in business, and the Business and Professional Services sub-sector... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:06:33 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2741&type=news_features Calendar Period Event 0645 SW Feb GDP (QoQ/YoY) 0930 UK Feb Construction PMI 1000 IT Feb CPI (MoM/YoY) 1000 EU Jan PPI (MoM/YoY) 1000 EU Feb Flash CPI (YoY) 1400 CA Bank of Canada rate decision ... Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:00:10 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2740&type=news_features By Mike Jones Sterling dropped sharply against the euro this morning after an economic double whammy. The sickly currency fell to its lowest against the euro in six weeks after a 17% drop in UK mortgage approvals was announced. Weekend newspaper polls showing that the UK was heading for a hung parliament at... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:46:06 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2739&type=news_features By Mike Jones The number of mortgage approvals for UK house buyers fell 17% in January. Only 48,198 home loans were processed - the lowest level since May 2009 and the second consecutive monthly drop, according to the Bank of England. Total mortgage advances also fell, with gross lending sliding to £10.24billion, down... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:45:45 GMT http://www.investortoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=2738&type=news_features By Mike Jones House prices fell by 1% month-on-month in February, according to the latest figures from Nationwide. Martin Gahbauer, Nationwide's Chief Economist, said: "The price of a typical UK property fell by a seasonally adjusted 1% month-on-month in February, ending a strong run of nine consecutive monthly increases. "The relatively smoother three... Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:45:23 GMT