More want fall in home prices
More people are hoping for house prices to fall than to rise, according to the results of a new poll.
The BBC-commissioned survey found that 28% of respondents wanted a drop in property prices, compared with 22% who hoped for a rise.
In an indication that crash fears may be misplaced, almost two-thirds said a fall of more than 10% would not negatively impact on their household spending. The research comes after a series of gloomy data from the mortgage industry.

Union in rail strike threat
The threat of the first national rail strike for 14 years, which would cripple train services across Britain, was raised today when the industry's biggest union announced that it was balloting 17,000 workers for industrial action.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union said maintenance and signalling staff will vote over the next week on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action in two separate disputes.

Gas company in prices hike
British Gas warned today of further bill hikes for customers after revealing that continued high wholesale gas prices would hit its profits.
The firm said that overall operating profits for the first half of this year would be "materially lower" compared with a year ago and wholesale prices were double those of a year ago. It already hiked prices 15% in January.

Post offices in closure alert
A Government minister today maintained that post office closures were necessary because the network continued to lose half-a-million-pounds every day.
Business Minister Pat McFadden said the speed and scale of technological development and the Internet in the UK were centrally connected to the changes facing the post office network.

Costs go up
Manufacturing firms have sharply increased the prices of their goods in a bid to tackle the strongest cost pressures for 20 years, according to a new survey today. The CBI said that, despite the difficult climate, new jobs were being created.

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