January 2012

No interest rates rise ‘until 2016’ – CEBR

Interest rates will stay on hold at their record low until 2016 according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Growth under or around 1% for years to come will force the Bank of England to keep the base rate at 0.5%, cut to that level in March 2009, for another four years, the CEBR predicts.

Olympic Park Legacy

Channel 4 ran an interesting story yesterday investigating the potential legacy of the Olympic Games on local businesses, it looks like international corporations stand to gain much more than local businesses.

UK High Speed Rail Given Green Light

A controversial new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham is approved by the government, which says it will bring major economic benefits.

The first phase of the project would cut London-Birmingham journey times, on 225mph trains, to 49 minutes, Ms Greening said.

This would be followed by a second phase of Y-shaped track reaching Manchester and Leeds by about 2033.

Connections to existing lines should then cut journey times between London, and Edinburgh and Glasgow, to three-and-a-half hours.