UK house prices climb to new heights in April due to “surplus in demand which is outpacing supply” April 29, 2015 House prices climbed higher in April, new figures from a major mortgage lender reveal. Annual house price growth edged up to 5.2 per cent in April from March’s 5.1 per cent. The average UK house price is now a £193,048 – the highest on record. Housing analysts blame a lack of supply for [...]
Stress tests to hit global banks March 29, 2015 BRITAIN’S biggest international banks will be put through their paces by the next Bank of England stress tests, which will be unveiled today. Standard Chartered, HSBC and Barclays are expected to be pushed hardest by the 2015 tests, which will check how well they would perform if an economic crunch was to hit emerging markets. [...]
General Election 2015 results: Who will be the next Labour leader? Runners and riders – Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, Chuka Umunna May 8, 2015 It's official. Labour leader Ed Miliband is on his way out. It follows the Labour party's awful performance in this year's general election where they lost a total of 26 seats, and the decline came as the SNP swept to victory in Scotland clinching a total of 56 seats. The shock outcome will now see the [...]
Living close to Waitrose could boost your house price by 12pc April 3, 2015 Premium properties within easy reach of a Waitrose can command a 12 per cent (£38,831) higher price than similar properties in other areas. According to research from Lloyds Bank, houses close to supermarkets enjoy, on average, a seven per cent higher price than other properties in the same town. Lloyds compared the average house prices [...]
Brits expecting strong year for house prices March 25, 2015 HOMEOWNERS and prospective buyers are expecting elevated house price growth over the next 12 months. It comes after a dip in expectations in February, which looked to be the beginning of a welcome slowdown in the market after a year of rapid growth and declining affordability. The Halifax house price optimism index released today rose [...]
General Election 2015: Statistician Nate Silver predicts Conservatives as largest party but an “incredibly messy outcome” April 28, 2015 The man who successfully predicted 99 state results out of 100 in the last two Presidential elections, as well as a host of House and Senate races, has forecast that the Conservatives will be the largest party after the General Election. Nate Silver, who participated in a BBC Panorama programme, thinks the Tories will capture [...]
Shaftesbury secures £130m loan March 18, 2015 Shaftesbury, the property company that owns parts of London's key districts such as Carnaby and Covent Garden, has secured a £130m loan with Aviva, wiping out a £100m debt that was due to expire next September. The new 15-year loan has a fixed interest rate of 3.2 per cent and will be repayable in March [...]
What the Tories mean for employees: From fewer strikes to more free childcare June 4, 2015 In the run-up to the Queen’s Speech, the suggested repeal of the Human Rights Act dominated the headlines. But now, it’s worth giving the government’s proposals for workers more time. The coalition made great play of reducing the number of costly, time-consuming and unwarranted employment claims that businesses were forced to deal with. Now, [...]
UK house price growth slowest since 2013 January 29, 2015 House prices in the UK have risen at the slowest pace in more than a year, according to the latest figures from building society Nationwide, a further sign that the UK housing market is cooling. Annual house price growth slowed for the fifth month straight to 6.8 per cent this month, down from 7.2 per [...]
Cheaper rates lift approvals to six-month high March 30, 2015 MORTGAGE approvals climbed to a six-month high in February, according to figures released by the Bank of England yesterday Mortgage approvals for house purchases numbered 61,760 in February, up from 60,707 in January. Net mortgage lending rose by £1.74bn, the fastest growth in three months. Recent surveys of the housing market have shown a cooling [...]