Brickonomics

Recession deeper than we thought says Bank of England

The recession is proving to be deeper than the Bank of England expected when it previous produced an inflation report in May. That in part explains the extension of the quantitative easing programme that rather surprised many commentators. I have...

Posted by Brian on August 12, 2009 11:44 AM

Homeowners turn their backs on using their homes as a bank

I was intrigued by the response from the surveyors' body RICS to the latest Bank of England figures for Housing Equity Withdrawal. The figures show a continuation in the rapid repayment of housing debt, as the graph below shows, and...

Posted by Brian on April 1, 2009 5:38 PM

Lack of grit and the economic crisis

Why is it understandable in the current British economy that councils are running out of grit? That was the thought that came to mind as I walking to work this morning. For me it was an enjoyable walk as the...

Posted by Brian on February 5, 2009 10:25 AM

Will construction win or lose from collapsing hope in the UK economy?

We are heading into the worst peacetime economic slump since the 1930s, according to the latest forecast by the highly regarded ITEM Club. This marks a massive collapse in hope for the UK economy. Just three months ago the ITEM...

Posted by Brian on January 19, 2009 10:18 AM

Worst six months for construction new orders since September 1995

The latest figures for new orders appear to have taken a turn for the even worse in November after already having fallen off a cliff in May last year. The 12 month rolling total of orders won in volume terms...

Posted by Brian on January 15, 2009 11:00 AM

The beast of inflation may be in retreat, but it can still bite

As if the confusion over the credit crunch's causes and effects is not enough, we now have the related confusion over inflation. What is a good level for inflation to fall to if deflation is a fear? We have just...

Posted by Brian on December 16, 2008 12:34 PM

Skyscrapers and economic crises

I recently mentioned the "skyscraper index" to a colleague. He hadn't heard of it. I deduced he has better things to do than keep up with quirky economic indicators - what, I can't imagine. Anyway, it occurred to me that,...

Posted by Brian on November 5, 2008 11:13 PM

Is this the worst time to be "more relaxed"?

I am sure I will not be the only one who draws this parallel. But I suspect it is a classic illustration of why credibility matters in both politics and economics. George Bush on the US economy, October 2008: "I...

Posted by Brian on October 21, 2008 9:02 AM

Phew - Thank you Evan Davis for restoring some sanity

I freely admit this is an indulgent blog and rather outside what I see as my scope, but I felt an obligation to make some points on the subject of the attacks on Alistair Darling and to record a thank...

Posted by Brian on September 3, 2008 1:48 PM

Phew - thank you Mr Darling. Now we can get on and fix the problems

For me tracking the Government's handling of the economic crisis over the past few months has been a bit like watching a sick gag in a sketch show where a child hops into the kitchen with one bloodied leg severed...

Posted by Brian on August 30, 2008 9:26 AM