Capital Investments 'will help lead UK out recession'

EDINBURGH is one of the five cities which will lead the UK out of the recession, a study revealed today.

The report by the Centre for Cities said despite the collapse of HBOS and RBS, Edinburgh had the right ingredients to succeed, including a strong private sector and educated workforce.

The Capital was second best in the UK for degree-level qualifications and third for knowledge intensive jobs.

Other top cities included Brighton, Milton Keynes, Reading and Cambridge.

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce's deputy chief executive Graham Birse said sectors including IT, life sciences, retail and the creative industries were particularly strong.

He also pointed out that Tesco Finance, HSBC and Santander had all expanded their operations in the city recently.

He said: "What we need is investment for the city regions, such as Edinburgh, which are the drivers for new jobs and economic growth.

The study also revealed 77.1 per cent of the working age population in the Capital were employed in 2009, 12th highest in the UK.

UK Capital Investments News, January 2010

European commercial property investment on a rebound; UK capital growth in December 2009 highest in 16 years

European commercial property investment is on a rebound and rose 40% in the fourth quarter of 2009, to the highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Last Friday, London-based IPD, a global provider of property market indices, reported that the final month of last year delivered the largest monthly capital growth in IPD’s 23-year history, at 3.0%, according to December’s IPD UK Monthly Index. The figure beats the 2.9% delivered exactly 16 years earlier in December 1993, at the end of the last major property recession.

On the European property market, CB Richard Ellis, the commercial property consultancy, reports that more than €25.7bn of property deals were agreed in the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 42% on the previous quarter and double the levels traded in the first two quarters of the year.

In the first three quarters of 2009, there was about €41bn of investment activity in the European commercial real estate market. There has been a steady increase in activity each quarter since the low of €12bn in Q1 2009. The full-year total of €70bn, compares with €121bn in 2008.

Michael Haddock, director, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Capital Markets Research, CB Richard Ellis commented: “The recent upturn in investment activity suggests that many investors believe the European market is approaching the bottom of the cycle; and in some cases, it may well be past that point. Whilst investment turnover has started to pick-up from lows of around €12 billion in both Q1 and Q2 this year, concerns remain about slow economic recovery and its lagging impact on the occupier market.”



UK Capital Investments News, January 2010

ICICI Bank partners UK Trade and Investment to offer new services

Leading private sector lender, ICICI Bank has tied up with UK Trade and Investment to help Indian firms explore business opportunities in the British market.

The tie-up will provide training events and investment assistance to Indian firms looking at business opportunities in UK, a press release said.

"Through this initiative, we envision further awareness to the Indian businesses by means of knowledge and counselling sessions," ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar said.

UK Trade and Investment is a government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in international markets.

ICICI Bank is the largest private sector bank in the country, with consolidated total assets of about USD 102 billion as on September 30, 2009.Leading private sector lender, ICICI Bank has tied up with UK Trade and Investment to help Indian firms explore business opportunities in the British market.

The tie-up will provide training events and investment assistance to Indian firms looking at business opportunities in UK, a press release said.

"Through this initiative, we envision further awareness to the Indian businesses by means of knowledge and counselling sessions," ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda Kochhar said.

UK Trade and Investment is a government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in international markets.

ICICI Bank is the largest private sector bank in the country, with consolidated total assets of about USD 102 billion as on September 30, 2009.

UK Capital Investments News, Jan 2010