PERSIMMON
Number of plots bought 26,800
Persimmon has produced the first trading update from the housebuilders for 2014. Barratt Developments, Bovis and Taylor Wimpey are expected to report next week.
One might reasonably expect some degree of slackening in growth from the sector. The number of first-time buyers hit its highest level this week since 2007, but the detailed numbers suggest that the rate of growth is falling back.
Reforms to stamp duty to favour cheaper homes should provide some temporary lift, and although the election will mean the sort of uncertainty that traditionally has held back the housing market, the numbers for 2014 show everything still moving in the right direction, as indeed it has for the sector as a whole over the past