Monetary measures to control inflation

The average UK house price hit a new record high in June but there are “tentative signs of a slowdown”, according to an index. Prices were up by 10.7% in June, slowing from 11.2% in May, Nationwide Building Society said. Across the UK, the average house price in June was £271,613, up by 0.3% month on month. Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said: “The price of a typical UK home climbed to a new record high of £271,613, with average prices increasing by over £26,000 in the past year. “There are tentative signs of a slowdown, with the number of mortgages approved for house purchases falling back towards pre-pandemic levels in April and surveyors reporting some softening in new buyer inquiries. Recommended Over £130m handed to housing providers named and shamed by regulator “Nevertheless, the housing market has retained a surprising amount of momentum given the mounting pressure on household budgets from high inflation, which has already … [Read more...] about Average UK house price hits new record high but there are ‘signs of a slowdown’

Scottish firms put up their prices at a record rate last month amid “unprecedented inflationary pressures”, new analysis has shown, as rising costs continue to bite. Business activity north of the boarder rose at the fastest pace for three months in February, according to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s latest Business Activity Index, but continued to lag the UK trend. The index, where anything above 50 shows growth, saw the measure of combined manufacturing and service sector output climbing to 55.5 last month, up from 53.7 in January. Malcolm Buchanan, chairman of the Scotland Board at the Edinburgh-based bank, said business activity rose as demand strengthened and Covid-19 rules were scaled back. Recommended Over £130m handed to housing providers named and shamed by regulator “That said, the stronger performance was dampened slightly by unprecedented inflationary pressures in February,” he said. “Firms continued to face surging energy, fuel, … [Read more...] about Scottish firms put prices at record rates as rising costs bite

I always pined for the wide open, though I grew up in suburban Maryland, hemmed in by private land and no trespass signs. Even as a boy, one with his nose in books, I knew that the East had not always been so parceled into private fiefdoms. In fact, it had once been a place where anyone could roam, more open than the West is today. It was not until years later, though, when researching a scholarly article, that I learned a clue as to why America had abandoned a centuries-long tradition and given landowners the power to close off access to so much of the country. I kept running across the same date: 1865. As obviously significant as that date is in U.S. history, the Civil War was not a conflict between ranchers and farmers. Evidently, something else was at work. Only when I dug into the records of South Carolina did an answer begin to take shape. Before 1865, from the colonial period onward, the only case of pure trespass in the modern sense that I could find nationwide came … [Read more...] about The True Meaning of ‘No Trespass’

Announcement of the results from BT Group strike ballots Sign up for FREE for the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info According to reports, around 25,000 members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) at BT and Openreach and 9,000 BT call centre workers were balloted and overwhelmingly backed industrial action, the (CWU) recently said. BT employees have voted overwhelmingly in favour of holding a national strike for the first time in 35 years, sparking the latest industrial action dispute over wages. Related articles Where is the safest place in the UK during nuclear war? Top 20 areas Trade unions and Labour could split as 'summer of discontent' looms … [Read more...] about BT national strike threatens to severely hamper broadband as employees set to walk out