International Business News - Personal Finance http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/personalfinance/ All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.co.uk 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Britain's housing market needs a shake-up to give the public a better deal but there is no requirement for better regulation of estate agents, the Office for Fair Trading said on Thursday. 49612 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/19166-people-view-properties-advertised-for-sale-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100218/estate-agents-better-liked-no-reform-needed-oft.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100218/estate-agents-better-liked-no-reform-needed-oft.htm Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:53:00 EST The labour market is slowly starting to recover, with the biggest increase in job vacancies in two-and-a-half years and a rise in permanent placements last month, a survey of recruitment agencies showed on Wednesday. 46595 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/18484-a-man-looks-at-literature-injob-centre.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100203/job-market-recovers-further-in-january.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100203/job-market-recovers-further-in-january.htm Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:05:00 EST President Barack Obama pitched job-creation plans to recession-weary Americans on Tuesday while his advisers urged Congress to take further measures to rein in the record budget deficit. 46593 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100202/obama-pushes-jobs-plan-warns-on-deficit.htm Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:42:00 EST House prices in England and Wales fell in January at their slowest annual rate since March 2008, according to property data company Hometrack on Monday. 46133 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/18386-a-man-walks-pasthouse-for-sale-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100201/house-prices-fall-in-january.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100201/house-prices-fall-in-january.htm Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:49:00 EST The Bank of England has said that mortgage approvals fell in December, despite signs and hopes that the housing market was recovering in the second half of 2009. 46211 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100201/mortgage-approvals-fell-december-housing-market-recovery-fragile-bank-england.htm Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:45:37 EST London is Europe's most popular location for new property acquisitions by investors in 2010, as the region's real estate industry improves on the back of easing credit and stabilising values, a report said on Monday. 46134 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/18387-the-towers-of-battersea-power-station.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100201/london-tops-property-acquisition-list.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100201/london-tops-property-acquisition-list.htm Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:45:00 EST House prices jumped at their sharpest pace in five months in January and consumer confidence rose more than expected, in a sign the economy got off to a good start in the new year. 45845 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100129/house-prices-jump-confidence-rises.htm Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:20:00 EST Nationwide Building Society has said that house prices increased 1.2 per cent in January and were up 8.6 per cent year on year to an average price of £163,481. 45921 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100129/house-prices-january-defiance-weak-growth.htm Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:45:19 EST House prices jumped at their sharpest pace in five months in January, taking the annual rate of increase to a two-year high, figures from the Nationwide building society showed on Friday. 45840 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/18267-housing-developers-signs-are-attached-tolampost-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100129/house-prices-up2-pct-in-january.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100129/house-prices-up2-pct-in-january.htm Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:03:00 EST New research from Woolwich has found that homeowners in England and Wales spent 20 per cent less on mortgage repayments last year, with Londoners cutting the most off their payments. 45501 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100127/barclays-falling-mortgage-paymentsquot-silver-lining-quot-recession.htm Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:46:59 EST British banks more than doubled the number of home loans they approved in December, and net mortgage lending rose by its biggest amount since October 2008, data showed on Tuesday. 45171 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/18100-people-view-properties-advertised-for-sale-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100126/mortgage-approvals-double-in-december.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100126/mortgage-approvals-double-in-december.htm Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:44:00 EST Rising buyer interest and low levels of supply pushed property asking prices in England and Wales up an annual 4.1 percent in January, property website Rightmove said on Monday. 43673 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/17687-a-woman-looks-at-properties-for-sale.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100118/january-house-prices-up1-percent.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100118/january-house-prices-up1-percent.htm Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:52:00 EST The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors has said in its latest Housing Market Survey that house price growth slowed in December thanks to the gap between supply and demand narrowing. 42784 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/17413-houses-are-seen-behindresidential-street-sign-in-london-december2008.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100112/house-prices-rising-south-falling-north-says-rics.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100112/house-prices-rising-south-falling-north-says-rics.htm Tue, 12 Jan 2010 11:55:08 EST House price growth slowed in December, with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors' monthly house price balance falling for the first time since prices hit a low-point in February. 42707 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/17399-houses-are-seen-behindresidential-street-sign-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100112/house-price-growth-slows-in-december.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100112/house-price-growth-slows-in-december.htm Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:15:00 EST Halifax has said that house prices rose by 1.0 per cent in December to an average price of £169,042. The annual change in house prices last year was recorded as being an increase of 1.1 per cent. 42024 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/17191-rows-of-terraced-houses-are-seen-in-west-london-october-27-2008.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100107/better-labour-market-and-low-interest-rates-boost-dec-house-prices-flat-likely.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100107/better-labour-market-and-low-interest-rates-boost-dec-house-prices-flat-likely.htm Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:36:55 EST House prices rose for a sixth consecutive month in December, increasingly by 1.0 percent to bring their total rise since April's low to 9.4 percent, mortgage lender Halifax said on Thursday. 42004 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/data/articleimgs/17184-rows-of-terraced-houses-are-seen-in.jpg http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100107/house-prices-up-in-december-halifax.htm http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100107/house-prices-up-in-december-halifax.htm Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:45:00 EST Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire Warren Buffett's insurance and investment vehicle, revealed today that it vetoed Kraft's desire to issue millions of shares in order to complete it's pursuit of Cadbury. 41639 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100105/berkshire-hathaway-reveals-kraft-food-inc-370-million-share-issue.htm Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:53:31 EST The government has launched its new boiler scrappage scheme following the success of the car scrappage scheme introduced by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson last year. 41553 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100105/government-hopes-fight-climate-change-boost-jobs-and-bills-with-boiler-scrappage-scheme.htm Tue, 05 Jan 2010 10:11:43 EST Marks & Spencer <MKS.L> is expected to post its first rise in underlying quarterly sales for more than two years on Wednesday, when it kicks off a slew of Christmas trading updates. 41402 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100104/retailers-feel-christmas-cheer-fear-hangover.htm Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST The Bank of England has said reported a rise in the number of mortgage approvals for last November. 41394 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/20100104/november-mortgage-approvals-says-boe.htm Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:06:38 EST