Investment Styles of Male & Female Investors

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Introduction

Stoke-on-Trent is located in the north of the region - almost equidistant from Birmingham and Manchester. The City Council was created in 1910 as an amalgamation of 6 pre- existing boroughs. Home to 239,700 persons1 living in approximately 105,000 households in 20 wards (within a total area of 36 square miles), the City forms the largest part of the North Staffordshire conurbation containing some 360,000 people.

Historically the city was dominated by the major industry of ceramics and pottery ware which lent the nickname of the area, the “Potteries”, although the city also has a legacy of coal, steel and rubber production. However the decline in all of these industries has had a major effect upon the prosperity of the city. The city's economy was the slowest growing in the region over the decade up to 2005 (and the second slowest growing in England). To date, the city has had limited success in diversifying its business base and it has a low share of private sector service employment. The decline of the city is evident in its labor market. The employment rate is low and the proportion of residents on benefits is high, particularly Incapacity Benefit where the claimant rate is doubles the national average. Skill levels are low, leading to slow growth in the city's knowledge economy and relatively low earnings.

The city's economic growth is also constrained by issues with its infrastructure and environment. Whilst it has good transport links both north to Manchester and south to Birmingham and London, its internal transport infrastructure is poor.

Discussion

Total GVA in Stoke-on-Trent grew from an estimated L2.58bn in 1995 to L3.35bn in 2005, with an average annual growth of 2.6%. This is less than the 4.7% growth rate for the region. This has seen Stoke-on-Trent's share of the West Midlands region's total output fall from 4.7% in 1995 to 4.0% in 2005.2 While growth in total GVA is an important measure of economic strength, it can mask key drivers in changing economic performance. GVA per head is a preferred measure as it enables a more detailed analysis of comparative output performance. The latest provisional estimate of GVA per head in Stoke-on-Trent is L14,001 in 2005, up from L13,623 in 2004, an increase of 2.8%. This annual rate is similar to the longer term trend of 3.0% per year since 1995. This represents a fall in the growth rate in the city, following a number of years of improving growth rates. Over the last ten years, output growth in the city has been slower than anywhere else in the region. Indeed, only West Cumbria saw slower growth in England. However, in more recent years the city's growth rate has improved and has been close to the regional average over the last four years for which data are available. The net result of the decline is that, In terms of an index of GVA per head, Stoke-on-Trent has fallen from 2% above the regional average in 1995 ...