The late Friday bid by BSkyB to thwart a takeover plans by NTL/Virgin or RTL of ITV are drawing claim and counter claim this morning in London. Sir Richard Branson leading the charge that the takeover contravenes various stock market and media monopolies rules. The markets have reacted by thrashing both BSkyB and ITV...
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Britain’s financial regulator warned this morning that lenders in the UK may be in danger of over exposing themselves with mainstream house mortgages reaching five times income. The Financial Services Agency (FSA) warned that lenders need to be sure that they can cope with the consequences of a potential housing slump. The FSA’s worry...
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According to the latest report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) house prices have increased by their fastest rate for four years, led by London increases. In its monthly survey RICS said that the number of members reporting rising prices versus falling prices had increased to 48 percent for October, an increase...
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Headlines in the UK are lamenting the end of a long held British tradition of free banking. If you live in the US, Australia or anywhere else in the world for that matter you’d wonder what all the fuss is about. Doesn’t everyone pay banking charges? Well not in the UK. It’s been a...
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The Bank of England issued its quarterly inflation report this morning and indicated that inflation may turn towards its target faster than predicted in its last report in August. Figures released show that the CPI is running at 2.4 percent, slightly lower than expected, but still 20 percent above the Bank’s set target. The...
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