Frank O'Donnell

A rise in people looking to buy and sell their homes has been witnessed by estate agents in the past month. The number of potential sellers rose in March to its highest level for six months, the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) said. 
The number of prospective buyers went up by 7% last month. The [...]

The UK economy is on the “brink of leaving recession”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
In their economic survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, the BCC says there have been improvements in many areas, most strikingly in manufacturing. However, despite exports in the service sector strengthening, services were still struggling, it was [...]

Variable rate mortgages are remaining to be popular, with many UK lenders cutting the cost of deals.
According to John Charcol Mortgage broker, 81% of the home loans arranged in December were variable rate deals. Meanwhile, the Woolwich and the Halifax have reduced the cost of some of their tracker deals in recent days.

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A fourth successive positive day for the pound against the dollar yesterday but we are now entering an area of resistance which may be tough to clear at the first time of asking.
This resistance zone lies between 1.6310 and 1.6355 and only directly beyond here shifts the balance of risk back [...]

If you hold a credit file then the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is urging you to check your file so the information accessed by lenders if accurate as the ICO says some information on credit files is preventing consumers from gaining access to credit.

The Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has reported that the financial position of the UK’s 7400 private final salary pension scheme has improved sharply during the course of December as their collective deficit fell from £93bn to just £33bn.

According to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), the proportion of first-time buyers looking to acquire property has reached its lowest level in a year. Only six months ago, first-time buyers accounted for 43% of the market.

The housing market is experiencing big changes which could significantly effect the property market. The ‘baby boomers’ of the forties and fifties are now reaching age 65 and coming up to retirement.   Many of them intend to use their homes to subsidise retirement by selling up and downsizing.

Despite the recession the number of people saving has remained static, according to a report released today by a government-backed firm has said.
Figures from National Savings and Investments (NS&I) have revealed that Britons are putting aside the same amount of money now as they were before the recession, despite speculation that the financial crisis would [...]

George Soros shares his latest thinking on economics and politics in a five-part lecture series recorded at Centural European University October 26-30, 2009.
\”The Financial Crisis And The Way Ahead\\\”
(Click the link above to view a short clip of George Soros’s Inspirational Lecture on the financial climate)
The lectures are the culmination of a lifetime of practical and philosophical [...]