An analyst has worked out what happens to London house prices under three scary political scenarios July 4, 2017 Politics: it's been decidedly unpredictable in recent years. Not surprisingly, the resulting uncertainty has led to homeowners taking a moment to consider whether now is the best time to buy or sell. Now an analyst at UBS Wealth Management has confronted three of property owners' scariest political nightmares head-on, working out exactly what would happen [...]
Business which treat GDPR as a burden will get left behind July 24, 2017 Modern life is lived online. Whereas ten years ago we may have had a MySpace profile here, an MSN chat account there, today our digital world is an all-encompassing extension of our physical lives. The Internet is home to some of our most sensitive data, from the state of our bodies to the political thoughts [...]
Where things stand one year after BHS went into administration April 25, 2017 BHS was almost 90 years old when it went into administration a year ago today, but all that remains of its legacy now is a string of empty shops and an online store. When retail tycoon Sir Philip Green sold the chain for just £1 to serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell in 2015, he set off [...]
UK house prices: Is this the return of the first-time buyer? April 23, 2015 As UK house prices have risen, so has the story of the death of the first-time buyer. New data suggests this despair may have come too soon, however. A third of people feel better placed to move home than they did 12 months ago, despite wage growth lagging far behind house price inflation. The figures [...]
Nearly half of young people to use lifetime Isa to save for retirement August 1, 2016 Nearly half of younger Britons will use a the lifetime Isa to save for retirement instead of taking out a pension plan a survey outlined today. A YouGov poll said that 44 per cent of Britons between the age of 18 and 39 would favour using the government’s new lifetime Isa in order to put [...]
How to build a hipster housing development in ten days September 19, 2016 Mike, 32, works as an accountant for an international development charity, but, despite having a healthy salary, he cannot afford a house in London. His story is unremarkable. Londoners have come to accept that owning a home is an ambition for later in life if they don't have help from relatives. Millennials like Mike aren't in desperate circumstances, but [...]
Construction supplier Travis Perkins says demand weakened after the Brexit vote – and says housing transactions are “unlikely to be positive” after the Brexit vote August 2, 2016 Builder's merchant Travis Perkins share price was hit this morning after the company said sales growth in July was knocked by the Brexit vote. The construction materials supplier's share price fell by 2.72 per cent in morning trading, despite announcing in its interims that like-for-like sales were up by 3.1 per cent in the six months to the end [...]
It’ll take young Londoners more than a decade to save for one of David Cameron’s starter homes May 27, 2016 The government's new starter homes initiative has come in for a lot of flack – but this may be its most damning criticism yet. Yep: new figures by property services giant JLL show if the average young couple in the capital started saving now, they wouldn't get their hands on a starter home until 2028. That's more than [...]
London house prices: Mortgage lending rises 41 per cent in capital May 25, 2016 Slowdown? What slowdown? Mortgage borrowing to fund London house purchases rose a whopping 41 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 compared with last year, up to £7.1bn, figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders this morning revealed. The amount borrowed was also up quarter-on-quarter, rising six per cent on the last [...]
Gold prices: The yellow has found a new pocket of opportunity April 18, 2017 “Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold.” You may have to read the quote more than once, but Bob Marley knew what he was talking about. At the moment, investors seemingly disagree a bit with him, and they have pushed spot gold up around 8 per cent [...]