All articles by Brian Green – Page 18
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Comment
It’s a double-dip recession for construction, if the statisticians’ first stab at growth is right
Construction has fallen into a double-dip recession – that is if the preliminary estimates by the statisticians putting together the first quarter 2010 gross domestic product figures are to be believed.The preliminary GDP figures put growth at a pallid 0.2% for the economy as a whole. This low level of ...
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NewsBrickonomics: Future still uncertain for construction jobs
The latest employment firgures show sunnier skies but all may not be as it seems
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Comment
Good news in the employment figures, but the future for construction jobs remains uncertain
The latest employment data will provide economists, politicians and strategists with plenty to chew on.The headline figure for unemployment jumped by 43,000 to top 2.5 million for the first time since 1996, the number of people in employment fell by 89,000 and the number wanting a job rose again.But there ...
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News
Come back bankers – all is forgiven
Instead of baying for their blood, we should be looking at how we can make the skills of financial engineers work to the construction industry’s advantage
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NewsConstruction activity may be positive but there are dangers ahead
CIPS construction activity indicator points to growth but there's little reason for joy
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NewsBrickonomics: Why figures for output and jobs don't match
The Office of National Statistics has tried to explain a divergence in its figures, here’s how
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NewsBrickonomics: Local builders are feeling the pain
A survey by the FMB shows that after two and a half years its members are still suffering from the recession
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Comment
Local builders still deep in recession says latest FMB survey
Evidence that construction is still far from free from the grip of recession has come from the FMB, the trade body that represents many of Britain’s local builders.The survey results show a market that remained in rapid retreat during the first quarter of this year.There is some good news as ...
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Comment
Explanations on why the jobs figures and output figures don’t seem to match
The Office of National Statistics has released an article that throws some light on the figures for construction jobs.I for one have been rather confounded by the construction jobs figures which seem to have understated the devastation on the ground, particularly in the wake of the collapse in house building.Indeed ...
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Comment
Joy deferred as CIPS shows construction activity grows for first time in two years
So the construction activity indicator produced by the buyers’ body CIPS finally points to growth after two years of measuring falling workloads. But this seemingly uplifting moment appears to have brought little joy.The March figure popped its head above the 50 no-change mark on the back of rising activity in ...
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NewsBrickonomics: Why we need the money men
You may not like it, but financial engineers can give us the tools we need to drag ourselves out of this mess
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Comment
Why construction firms must recruit financial engineers
Financial engineers – you can be forgiven for holding them in total contempt. The finger of guilt for the recession ravaging construction firms points witheringly in their direction.But, galling as it might seem, construction now needs financial engineers more than it needs civil, structural, mechanical or electrical engineers.The tools and ...
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Comment
Why falling mortgages approval are spooking housing market watchers
The latest figures from the Bank of England showing the number of mortgage approvals at a nine month low have caused a bit of a stir and increased talk of a double dip in the housing market.Here’s a few reasons why.There is a historic link between the number of mortgage ...
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Comment
Good news on the planning front – rejections fall and applications for new homes rise
The data published today on planning applications on the face of it should provide house builders and their suppliers with some comfort.The figures show that in the final quarter of last year the number of planning decisions for major residential developments – those with 10 or more homes – rose ...
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NewsBrickonomics: Life after the Budget
The chancellor's big plans amount to little of substance for the construction industry
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Comment
Budget figures confirm the urgent need for new sources of investment in construction
As if in compensation for all the anticipation before and excitement during the Budget announcement, we are left with the dull thud back to reality afterwards.Certainly, for construction the Budget itself changed little of substance.Alright the first-time buyer stamp duty holiday was an eye-catching cheeky move. But we all know ...
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Comment
Stamp duty - a tax rise that looks set to win votes
There is obvious glee within the housing market about the prospects of a two-year period free of stamp duty for those first-time buyers who purchase properties worth less than £250,000.The £250,000 threshold captures practically all of them, with significantly less than 10% of exceptions that will be mainly resident in ...
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NewsStamp duty: how the £250,000 threshold affects housing
What it means for first time buyers, housebuilders and government coffers
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Comment
Comforting data ahead of the budget
As the Chancellor Alistair Darling puts his final touches to the Budget he will be relieved by the recent spate of comforting data.Last Wednesday we had employment statistics showing that the unemployment was falling.On Thursday the figures on public finances were far healthier than expected, with the Institute for Fiscal ...
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