THE RENTAL MARKET has come to a halt with the lockdown measures in place across the UK, and now a warning has been issued showing a decline in rental stock. But how has the lockdown triggered an increase in deposits and rental prices?

IT WAS the inevitability that we were merely waiting to have confirmed. Latest data released this morning by mortgage lender Halifax indeed confirms that house prices cooled in April, as one would expect given the economic impacts of the current health crisis.

Annapolis, Maryland

"I don't care where he was born. I just wish he would do something abut gas [petrol] prices," a man in Chick and Ruth's diner on the main street of Annapolis in the US state of Maryland told me.

That is the sort of reaction President Barack Obama hopes for. His message is that the fuss about where he was born is bemusing, puzzling, silly and a "sideshow" distracting from the huge economic issues facing America.

But Mr Obama had to kick over the sideshow if the customers at the diner were anything to go by. Most people I spoke had a hazy perception that there was something slightly untrustworthy about the document released by the Obama campaign two and a half years ago. Most thought this had dragged on far too long and deserved to be cleared up.

The argument that Mr Obama isn't eligible to be US president because he wasn't born in the US was once thought to be the preserve of the political fringes, those whose "birther" nickname equates them with the "truthers" who believe 9/11 was carried out by the US government.

But it was plonked centre stage by potential Republican candidate, billionaire property developer and TV star Donald Trump, who has said several times that he doubts Mr Obama was born in Hawaii and that he has put private detectives on the case.

Mr Trump was in New Hampshire today doing multiple stops in this key state. Mr Obama's press conference both stymies his big day and gives him even more publicity. Mr Obama's aim must be to make him look deeply unserious.

Many Obama supporters feel racism motivates the birthers - disbelief that a black man can be an American president. Some birthers are opponents who hate his values so much they think he must be un-American literally as well as metaphorically.

But there's no doubt his team has handled this appallingly.

They have today released the full birth certificate. In 2008 they released a "certification of live birth". The White House communications director writes:

When any citizen born in Hawaii requests their birth certificate, they receive exactly what the president received. In fact, the document posted on the campaign website is what Hawaiians use to get a driver's license from the state and the document recognised by the federal government and the courts for all legal purposes. That's because it is the birth certificate.

That appears to be true, and the Hawaiian authorities were apparently reluctant to publish the full thing. But what could be more delicious to conspiracy theorists than the existence of an unseen document that apparently the authorities were keen to keep from the full public gaze?

In Chick and Ruth's I found a full variety of views about the issue. A waitress said it was crazy that anyone ever doubted when Mr Obama was born, an older man still thought that his president may have been born in Kenyan and wanted to study the document. A younger man had no real doubts but thought this was overdue.

It may not go away. I have already had one e-mail from someone who said he had no interest in were Mr Obama was born but claimed the new document had been doctored.

But one thing is very clear. I was in Annapolis filming a story on the economy, and nearly every customer I spoke to ended up talking, unprompted, about the price of petrol. That was the real issue for them. Like the president, they regarded anything else as a sideshow, albeit an entertaining one.

oscon: Just 1 week left to take advantage of #OSCON early registration prices. Register by 6/6 to save http://t.co/E0JKpcj1Rp #opensource

oscon: Only 48 hours left to get discounted tickets to #OSCON. Early registration prices end tomorrow at midnight http://t.co/E0JKpcj1Rp

MTN on Friday announced a drop in the price of monthly data bundles and customers will now pay R99 for 1GB, 33% lower than previously.

Corporate Members Event Webinar

Event participants

Julian Lee, Oil Strategist, Bloomberg LP London
Dr John Sfakianakis, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House; Chief Economist and Head of Research, Gulf Research Center
Professor Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House
Emily Stromquist, Director, Castlereagh Associates
Chair: Dr Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

Corporate Members Event Webinar

Event participants

Julian Lee, Oil Strategist, Bloomberg LP London
Dr John Sfakianakis, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House; Chief Economist and Head of Research, Gulf Research Center
Professor Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House
Emily Stromquist, Director, Castlereagh Associates
Chair: Dr Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

Host Matt Egan clips us round the ear and tells us to listen up as we chat yet more tech and then some other stuff about tech. Consumer tech editor at PC Advisor Chris Martin lays down his definitive opinion after he went hands on with the Nintendo Switch this week, and why the company really should have had their star plumber ready in time for launch. Tamlin Magee, Online Editor at Computerworld UK then takes us through the odd goings on at Davos, and whether or not the elite can identify with what tech actually means to real working people. To round us up, Acting Macworld UK Editor David Price explains why app prices are going up in the UK for iOS users, and why it might - might - not be UKIP's fault. Sort of.  

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Corporate Members Event Webinar

Event participants

Julian Lee, Oil Strategist, Bloomberg LP London
Dr John Sfakianakis, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House; Chief Economist and Head of Research, Gulf Research Center
Professor Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow, Energy, Environment and Resources Programme, Chatham House
Emily Stromquist, Director, Castlereagh Associates
Chair: Dr Sanam Vakil, Deputy Director and Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

1 December 2014

Crude oil prices fell Monday amid renewed concerns about potentially declining crude oil demand resulting from weaker economic outlook.

Oil prices rose early Tuesday, after Monday declines, possibly helped by some positive news from China -- but doubts remain as to whether that direction will hold.

Oil prices fell early Wednesday, likely a result of lower-than-expected draws in an API with traders awaiting official EIA inventory data later in the day.

U.S. retail fuel prices will drop this year and in 2020 from 2018, but in both cases higher than January levels due to mandated lower sulfur in marine fuel.

Oil prices fell early Thursday despite an OPEC report confirming a sizable cut due to bearishness related to rising United States production and inventories.

Oil prices fell Monday as the number of rigs in the United States saw a weekly rise, analysts said

Average fuel prices in the United States started the week at $2.26 per gallon, showing little change from the last month or last week, and may remain flat.

Oil prices were higher early Tuesday amid renewed concern about Venezuelan supplies but market worries about China-U.S. trade issues prevented higher gains.

Oil prices rose Wednesday amid expectations that Venezuelan oil shipments would see some disruption following U.S. sanctions.

Oil prices rose early Friday amid supply concerns following reports of smaller-than-expected stocks, and amid reduced expectation of interest rate hikes.

Last week, a gallon of gas at an Exxon station in the tony suburb of Bethesda cost $2.99.

Prices on P.E.I. for gas, heating oil and diesel all took a big jump upwards Friday.

Global real residential property prices rose 1.4% year/year in aggregate in Q3 2019, reflecting subdued developments both in advanced (+ 1.5%) and emerging market economies (+ 1.3%).

Inflation pressure could be weak even after consumer demand for non-discretionary goods and services begins to grow as the economy gets back on its feet.

Import price indexes are compiled for the prices of goods that are bought in the United States but produced abroad and export price indexes are compiled for the prices of goods sold abroad but produced domestically. These prices, which exclude tariffs and taxes, measure underlying inflationary trends in internationally traded products.

Close to 300 series at various frequencies for 60 countries have been updated.

Monthly and annual data have been updated for 60 countries. The average length of the monthly series is more than to 55 years. Some annual series go back to the middle of the 19th century - or even earlier for several countries.

The BIS's data set on consumer prices contains long monthly and annual time series for 60 countries.

Inflation pressure could be weak even after consumer demand for non-discretionary goods and services begins to grow as the economy gets back on its feet.

Amazon has reissued its popular Apple Watch deal, dropping the Series 5 Watches with Cellular to $399 after a $100 price cut. Multiple styles are on sale and in stock.

For a limited time, the 7-inch Fire 7 Kids Edition is $40 off while the 8- and 10-inch models are both $50 off. These tablets make a great gift for 3-to-12-year olds.

The popular Roomba 675 is just $199 today, the 8-inch Amazon Fire HD 8 is only $50, and the 2TB Crucial MX500 2.5-inch SSD is back on sale for $200.

A growing body of research suggests that the food environment affects children’s weight. Specifically, living in areas with higher-priced fast foods and soda is associated with lower weight and BMI, whereas higher fruit and vegetable prices demonstrate the opposite association.

Using longitudinal data on lower-income young children, this study finds that higher-priced fruits and vegetables are associated with higher child BMI, but not food insecurity, and that this relationship is driven by the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables. (Read the full article)

Oil prices made a spectacular comeback Thursday as fresh US-Iran tensions erupted, also helping equities advance after US labour market figures provided a glimmer of hope for the world's top economy.

The top-rated Kindle Paperwhite, a PCMag Editors' Choice product, is available right now from $84.99 ($45 off) and the new Kindle is on sale starting at $59.99 ($30 off).

The pharmaceutical retailer says it was forced to increase prices of surgical masks because of suppliers' inflated quotes and to match competitors, while the commission says retailers could have been following Dis-Chem's lead.

The 2020 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe has been launched in India, with prices starting at Rs. 1.29 crore (ex-showroom India). The four-door coupe is being offered in two variants - 840i Gran Coupe and 840i...

elaware residents may pre-order environmentally beneficial compost bins and rain barrels at discount prices during an online sale in May. Made available by DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances, in conjunction with the Division of Watershed Stewardship, advance purchases must be made for both items at www.enviroworld.us/delaware

The BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe has been launched in India for a starting price of Rs 1.28 crore while the Sporty M8 Coupe costs Rs 2.15 crore.

Oil prices in the international markets last month slumped to a two-decade low of USD 18 per barrel before rebounding by some measure.

Pradhan did not elaborate on the policy reforms planned. The BJP-led government had in October 2014 evolved a new pricing formula using rates prevalent in gas surplus nations like the US, Canada and Russia to determine the price in a net importing country. Prices using this formula are calculated semi-annually.

Low oil prices will have a positive impact on glass manufacturing, transport, industrial power, plastics, lubricants, petrochemical, , FMCG, paint, rubber & tyre manufacturing companies

Out of 230 lakh tonne annual consumption, only a third of it is met via domestic production. Edible oils prices have gone up as the country’s 600 refineries, 500 solvent plants and 10,000 crushing mills have reduced output by half compared to pre-Covid levels, industry experts said.

Since 2009-10, the SMP has been replaced with fair and remunerative price (FRP) and some states like Uttar Pradesh continue to announce state-advised prices which are higher than FRPs.

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to hike prices of liquor by up to Rs 20, as it is readying itself to open liquor outlets on Thursday.

Industry experts say that besides the realty sector, the Chennai-Visakhapatnam industrial corridor will spur growth for other allied industries as well.