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Tag: repair and maintenance

Falling family spending on home improvements and the construction recession of 2005 revisited

Falling family spending on home improvements and the construction recession of 2005 revisited

Britons appear to be spending ever less on contractors to do up their homes, despite the popular view that people are investing to stay in their homes rather than move. That’s certainly what the official construction output figures show and so do the family spending data released yesterday. And the decline didn’t start with the recession it is far more longstanding. According to the family spending survey, households spend less on contractors now in cash terms than they did a…

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Signs of stability in construction activity, but recovery looks a way off yet

Signs of stability in construction activity, but recovery looks a way off yet

The latest monthly construction output figures from the Office for National Statistics provided little extra insight into either the travails of or the prospects for the industry, other than to hint that the rate of decline may be easing. Looking at the graph we can see a teasing turn in the downward trend in the 12-month total of construction output of late. And certainly there appear to be no shocks in the data when examining the finer details at sector level….

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Nicky come lately still doesn’t get it for all his Damascene conversion to capital spending

Nicky come lately still doesn’t get it for all his Damascene conversion to capital spending

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has realised, he says, that the Government cut capital spending too fast. After this no doubt a whole industry – construction – is now saying “we agree with Nick”. The sad twist is that in reality it is Nick that now agrees with the industry. Sad because the nation has had to endure a long haul where opportunities were missed and huge damage done. Sadder still because there’s little hope of a meaningful boost…

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Output data add to worries over private sector weakness as public sector cuts hit workloads

Output data add to worries over private sector weakness as public sector cuts hit workloads

The latest output figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Friday appear to support growing concerns that the decline in construction workload might be accelerating. Analysis of the data suggests that as the decline in public sector work is gathering pace the recovery in the private sector is petering out.

Experian shades up its construction forecast as public investment holds up better than expected

Experian shades up its construction forecast as public investment holds up better than expected

I was wrong. Not all the construction forecasts are being revised down this time around. Experian has slightly lifted its expectations for construction growth for this year and next compared with its summer forecast. In the summer it was looking at a fall of 2.6% and 3.5% for this year and next, those expectations are now smaller falls of 2.1% and 3.3%. This is despite a lower forecast for GDP growth. Experian had revised its summer forecast quite a bit. And…

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Local builders still deep in recession says latest FMB survey

Local builders still deep in recession says latest FMB survey

Evidence that construction is still far from free from the grip of recession has come from the FMB, the trade body that represents many of Britain’s local builders. The survey results show a market that remained in rapid retreat during the first quarter of this year. There is some good news as the graph (right) sourced from the FMB survey shows. The level of new inquiries appears to be levelling out and this has sparked some improvement in the level…

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