All articles by Brian Green – Page 22
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NewsDoes the GDP debate rest on dodgy figures?
Our expert blogger examines the construction industry's economic foundations
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Comment
Does the whole GDP debate really rest on dodgy construction output figures?
It has long been said that construction is an important bellwether in determining the shape of the nation’s economic progress.Today the performance of construction, or rather revisions to its measured performance, seemingly determined how close the UK is to recovery.The upwardly revised construction data put the nation yet closer to ...
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NewsResidential planning activity bounces back
Brickonomics: Planning decisions are on the rise but how much is due to housebuilders switching consents from flats to houses
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NewsGrim outlook for jobs in construction
Brickonomics: Another drop in workload will have a devasting affect on what is already a fragile jobs market
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Comment
Residential planning activity bounces back
The latest Government planning data on the face of it supports the view that there has been a bounce in activity within the house building sector.The topline data, released today, for residential planning decision show a fall in the September quarter compared with both the previous quarter and on the ...
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Comment
Grim outlook for jobs in UK construction
The official figures show construction lost 67,000 jobs in the third quarter of this year. This is more than 1,000 jobs each working day and half the jobs lost to the UK economy over that period.So while there may be suggestions of more stability in the wider economy, construction is ...
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NewsHousing recovery is resting on happier family homes market
Another housing survey today suggests recovery, but activity seems to most evident within the well-to-do family home price bracket
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Comment
Housing recovery is resting on happier family homes market
The latest swathe of housing data continues to suggest a pick up both in prices and activity and the RICS November house price survey, released today, adds further weight to the case for a housing recovery.Its measures for sales, expected sales, new inquiries, new instructions, prices and expected prices are ...
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NewsPre-Budget report points to more money for construction … but a much bigger fall
Brickonomics: Assessing what the chancellor's plans may mean for the industry
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Comment
Pre-Budget Report points to more money for construction...but a much bigger fall
Few would argue against the view that this set of Pre-Budget Report announcements has more to do with pre-electioneering that pre-budgeting.That’s fair enough. The Labour Party may not be in power to pursue its plans and, if it is after the next election, we don’t know how keen it will ...
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NewsThe cruelty of breeding force-fed first-time buyers
Brickonomics: Should we be using incentives as readily as we are to encourage first-time buyers onto the property ladder?
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Comment
The cruelty of breeding force-fed first-time buyers
Here's a question that goes right to the heart of current housing policy: Should we be using incentives as readily as we are to encourage first-time buyers onto the property ladder?However iconoclastic or contrary this question may seem, it needs to be asked. There is so much at stake.Promoting first-time ...
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Comment
What Tesco sales data can tell us about the construction jobs market
Practically all construction statistics are poor by comparison to the data in most other industries. It is not a fault of the statisticians or researchers. They have an unenviable job as the construction industry is, relatively speaking, very tricky to measure.So the best way to make sense of what is ...
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Comment
Number snacks: 1
The number of architects, planners and surveyors signing off the claimant count in the six months to October 2009 to head abroad was 985.This compares with 80 in same period two years earlier.Source: National Statistics (Nomis: www.nomisweb.co.uk). Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller Office ...
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NewsBrickonomics: I see no upswing in these construction output figures
In his first blog for Building, Brian Green pulls apart the latest construction output figures
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Comment
Are we witnessing an upswing in construction output? In a word: No
So its official – the construction recession isn’t as bad as we thought. And the even better news is that the sharp fall in output at the start of this year wasn’t anywhere near as sharp as last quarter’s figures had suggested.That at least is how the national statisticians might ...
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Comment
House building looks set for growth in 2010
The latest Government house building numbers strongly suggest that a shade more than 100,000 homes will be built in England in 2009.This would represent a 40% drop on the peak year of 2007 and make 2009 a record peacetime low.There are hints of hope in the figures with the starts ...
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Comment
Are expectations of inflation too low?
Inflation is now on the way up. That was to be expected. As Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, keeps reminding us, we should expect inflation to be very volatile for some while.But, is it me or do the forecasts for inflation reaching a mini-peak at about 3% ...
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Comment
New Year stamp duty switchback will have little impact, says RICS
For those interested in what will happen when the stamp duty holiday comes to an end on December 31, the surveyors' body RICS has done a little bit of research among its members.Basically, the results seem to suggest that by and large the effect on property transactions will be muted ...
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Comment
Christmas sales come to the housing market
It's the run up to Christmas and we're in a recession - well if not technically, we're definitely suffering from the recession - so don't be surprised to see redundancies on the rise and asking prices for homes on the decline. It is the nature of things.And in this regard ...