All double dip articles
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CommentLike mathematics, it’s cool not to understand construction, until it’s seen as important
Ignorance of construction economics means policy makers are being misinformed
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CommentA last hurrah for construction before the axe falls
Output in the last quarter was the best since Lehman Brothers collapsed. Alas figures won't be as high again for the foreseeable future
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We're back to double-digit growth in house prices, oh dear
House prices are booming again, crack open the champagne!Well maybe not.If I was a house builder reading the latest survey from the Nationwide building society showing a double-digit rise in prices over the past year (see graph) I would be worried.Looking at my short-term prospects, naturally I would be chirpy ...
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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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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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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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Official figures show construction output falling again, but devils lurk in the detail
Construction output slumped back into decline in the final quarter of 2009, after a supposed rise out of recession in summer.That is the headline story from today’s release of the construction output figures.But dig a bit deeper and we see some unsettling implications in the numbers.Firstly the statisticians now believe ...
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Prepare for a double dip in construction growth – the implication of today’s GDP figures
The UK is coming out faster from recession than we thought. But the hole was deeper.That seems to be the message from the statisticians’ latest stab at the nation’s output.The increase in fourth quarter GPD was revised upward from 0.1% to 0.3%, which will cheer many not least the Chancellor.But ...
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Was it just the cold or is it a relapse?
There are plenty of people, “experts” indeed, who fully expect a double-dip recession for both the economy and, for that matter, house prices.For them the data emerging for January’s performance appears to be, albeit gently, vindicating their position. They will no doubt seize with alacrity the retail figures from the ...
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Mum: Are we out of recession yet?
You could feel the uneasiness among economists yesterday when the release of official statistics showed that the UK had just scraped enough oomph together in the final quarter of last year to stage a lacklustre return to growth.Most economists had expected the no-growth bar to be cleared by some margin. ...
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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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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 ...