US home sales beat expectations with 6.4pc rise May 23, 2014 The number of houses sold in the US grew 6.4 per cent, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 433,000 in April. The surge in sales came primarily from the Midwest. The figures put an end to two straight months of declines, while the number of houses on the market climbed to a three-and-a-half year [...]
Housing market lifts Persimmon deals by 17pc January 7, 2015 PERSIMMON posted a 17 per cent surge in housing completions last year and said it expected demand for new homes to remain robust despite uncertainty over the outcome of the upcoming general election. Britain’s biggest housebuilder completed 13,509 property sales in the year to 31 December compared with 11,528 the previous year. Homes were sold [...]
Unfinished business: Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson talks sentimentality, curves and the General Election April 19, 2015 It's a big wide world, and there’s a lot to be done. It’s important to have a sense of urgency.” This is business polymath Luke Johnson’s answer to why it is that he has quite so many business interests – his industriousness is astonishing. Johnson, who waded into the world of business after getting a [...]
Kingfisher share price rises on plans to close 60 B&Q stores in UK and Ireland March 31, 2015 Kingfisher's profits fell last year despite an increase in sales, but plans to close 60 B&Q stores have sent shares up. The figures The DIY retailer, which owns B&Q among others, experienced a 2.9 per cent increase in sales last year, but its pre-tax profits fell 7.5 per cent to £675m. The figures, for the [...]
Private equity firm Hellman in Auto Trader bid February 1, 2015 PRIVATE equity firm Hellman & Friedman is putting together a takeover bid for used car business Auto Trader, which could put an end to the firm’s plans to float on the London stock market. A source close to the deal said an offer from the US private equity house was a “logical step” for Auto [...]
Labour to sell off £100m worth of buildings including Inn The Park, QE2 conference centre and Marlborough House November 23, 2014 Labour has announced plans to sell off £100m worth of government-owned buildings in London if the party wins the general election next May. As part of a review of public spending, designed to tackle the deficit, Ed Miliband’s party is planning to hang the “for sale” sign on a number of iconic buildings [...]
Supermarkets could be hit with 1pc turnover fine if GCA gets new powers January 29, 2015 Britain's largest supermarkets could face fines if up to one per cent of their annual turnover if they treat their suppliers badly. Business secretary Vince Cable has put the measures before the House of Commons which would give new powers to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). The regulator would impose the fine depending on the [...]
This £45m mansion could have just netted the government £5.3m in stamp duty December 18, 2014 A 19-bedroom Mayfair mansion that's just been sold with an asking price of £45m may have just made the government £5.3m. Seven Balfour Place from the outside The 13,000 sq ft mansion, on Balfour Place, also comes with seven reception rooms, six kitchens, 17 bathrooms and a roof terrace. The company in charge of selling [...]
Here’s why some economists are slamming Danny Alexander’s plan to build new homes on public sector land December 2, 2014 We may be in the midst of strong growth and plummeting unemployment, but when it comes to the economy, most people tend to fixate on one thing: housing. While house prices in London and the South East are not rising at the eye-watering levels they were 10 months ago, the cost of housing is driving [...]
The most exciting frontier markets opportunities: From Vietnam to Pakistan, Romania to Nigeria March 26, 2015 Every portfolio needs diversifiers, and frontier markets are becoming increasingly relevant for investors seeking growth. Frontiers tend to be uncorrelated with developed markets, so the investment stories will thrive – or fail – independent of events in Europe or the US. Below, we highlight four of the hottest frontier markets right now. VIETNAM After [...]