Debt concerns allayed as the UK consumer starts to spend

UK consumers and companies are likely to start spending again as interest rates peak at 4.5%. Managers believe the uplift in consumer spending will benefit banking and housing stock, while an expected increase in M&A activity for cash rich corporations, will help stock prices. Peter Cockburn, investment director of UK equities at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership, says: "The housing market in the UK will have a soft landing. It is bottoming out and starting to show signs of improvement." For its SWIP UK Growth fund, Cockburn presently shows a biased towards house building stocks. ...