Brickonomics

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...

Posted by Brian on November 16, 2009 7:56 AM

Falling construction helps hold UK in recession

An estimated fall of 1.1% in construction output in the third quarter of this year has helped to hold the UK economic growth in recessionary territory. Much to the surprise of many analysts the UK economy appears to have remained...

Posted by Brian on October 23, 2009 9:40 AM

How much has the recession cost house builders? um...

During a conversation with a colleague on the recent spate of cash calls by house builders I was quizzed on how much damage the recession had done to their balance sheets. I made a stab (a lucky guess as it...

Posted by Brian on September 29, 2009 2:56 PM

RICS survey finds some breathing space before the real storm hits

The surveyors' body RICS found that public sector funding was providing some much needed relief for the construction sector. The shift in the numbers in its construction market survey was quite marked. The balance of firms seeing a decline in...

Posted by Brian on August 14, 2009 10:16 AM

Ignore those saying new construction orders are on the rise

I feel sure there will be someone penning near euphoric words about the 18% rise in orders in the second quarter, which is the opening line of the statistical bulletin released today. Ignore it. The new orders figures bounce about...

Posted by Brian on August 6, 2009 10:10 AM

Contractors face a £24 billion drop in new work

UK contractors should prepare themselves for a £24 billion drop in the annual cash value of new work coming through as the recession reaches its expected bottom in 2011. Shrinking volumes and plunging prices threaten to drag the cash spent...

Posted by Brian on July 30, 2009 10:33 PM

Odd ideas to kickstart house building No 93: Just give first-time buyers £10,000

What would happen if the taxpayer (via the Government) decided to give first-time buyers otherwise unable to raise a deposit £10,000 so they could buy a new home? The answer, at least on the face of it, is a bit...

Posted by Brian on July 26, 2009 9:36 AM

Average weekly earnings go up in construction

I took a quick glimpse at the Average Weekly Earnings figures out today to see if there was an obvious sign of downward pressure on those employed in construction. Well comparing the average weekly earnings over the three months to...

Posted by Brian on June 24, 2009 10:43 AM

5 reasons why we might be facing the mother of all construction recessions

It's coming around to the construction forecasting season again and the industry prognosticators will be gathering to discuss the ups and downs of the industry. If I were you, I'd be bracing myself for some pretty savage revisions to what...

Posted by Brian on June 16, 2009 2:50 PM

Construction shrinks at the fastest rate ever recorded

It was with genuine shock that I looked at the latest output figures. I was busy finishing something off when Noble Francis of the Construction Products Association called to ask if I'd seen the figures. I thought he was pulling...

Posted by Brian on June 5, 2009 10:53 AM

Why you might want to raise a glass to building homes?

As we rage about the cost to the taxpayer of 80p bath plugs and the construction of elaborate duck houses, here's a figure to contemplate. For every new home built in recessionary times, each taxpayer is about 10p to 15p...

Posted by Brian on June 5, 2009 9:45 AM

Latest GDP figures confirm plunging construction workload

The update on the preliminary GDP figures for the UK's economic growth confirm construction activity was down in the first quarter by 8.6% compared with a year earlier. This puts industry workload on a level with that last seen in...

Posted by Brian on May 22, 2009 10:30 AM

If it's growth you want, start looking again at house building

I received a bit of a teasing prod this morning from my good friend the editor of CJ, Aaron Morby, when he rang me up to quiz me on house building targets. "Don't you think we are seeing a recovery...

Posted by Brian on May 13, 2009 5:21 PM

Look east to find some shelter from the storm

My good friend Martin Hewes has just past me some details of the latest Hewes & Associates forecast for new work construction output. It will not make for comfortable reading if you happen to be trading heavily in Yorkshire &...

Posted by Brian on May 12, 2009 10:23 AM

Recessionary pain spreads, says latest construction trade survey

The latest state of construction trade survey figures compiled and analysed by the Construction Products Association is interesting as it provides a clear picture of an industry drifting deeper into recession. We seem to be, just from a cursory look...

Posted by Brian on May 6, 2009 8:59 AM

Home prices slide but rate of decline has eased, says Nationwide

The latest Nationwide data on house prices is yet another pointer to suggst the slide in house prices is far from over. The April figure saw the average price fall by 0.4% in April after the upward blip of 0.9%...

Posted by Brian on April 30, 2009 9:25 AM

Construction job vacancies evaporate as recession bites

The latest batch of employment figures provides little comfort to the thousands of construction workers who are now looking for jobs, as vacancies in the industry have plunged deeper. The figures show that in the three months to March this...

Posted by Brian on April 22, 2009 10:04 AM

Local builders set to shed more jobs as the recession deepens

The latest survey of local builders by the FMB suggests that more jobs will shed over coming months with a majority of a third of firms expecting to cut jobs over the coming six months. It has to be said...

Posted by Brian on April 21, 2009 12:41 PM

Experian revises down its forecast for construction output

Industry forecasters at Experian followed their rivals and cut expectations of construction activity over the coming three years. The predicted decline in output in 2009 is now put at 7.8% followed by a slight drop of 1.7% in 2010 and...

Posted by Brian on April 9, 2009 3:02 PM

Another month another set of "worst ever" new orders figures

The February figures for new orders were worse than the January figures which were the worst monthly figures ever recorded. There is perhaps little to add to the comments made last month other than to say if you are looking...

Posted by Brian on April 2, 2009 12:05 PM