US home sales slump in March as coronavirus bites April 21, 2020 US home sales tumbled at the fastest rate in over four years in March, figures have shown, as coronavirus containment measures choked off buyer demand in one of the biggest markets in the world. Existing home sales slumped 8.5 per cent in March to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.27m units, the National Association [...]
Crypto AM shines its Spotlight on Portraits of a Mind – the world’s largest blockchain art project October 6, 2020 In just 24 hours time, BLOCK 21 from Portraits of a Mind will make history as the first artwork and NFT of our culture to be sold at Christie’s New York. Just eleven years on from its inception, Satoshi’s codebase currently hangs alongside masterpieces by Picasso, Cezanne, Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Warhol. It is a [...]
Calls for stamp duty holiday as UK house prices set to fall amid coronavirus crisis April 9, 2020 The government has been urged to take action to support the housing market, including a stamp duty holiday, as UK house prices are forecast to drop due to coronavirus. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) has called for a stamp duty holiday as a “short term measure”. It said it could encourage potential buyers [...]
Before the Bell: Inflation genie returns to his bottle as UK GDP data is next March 12, 2021 The buy-everything animal spirits refused to be caged any longer overnight as financial markets returned the inflation genie to its bottle. Technology was back, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones closed at record highs, US yields held steady, Bitcoin rose, and the US Dollar fell, with markets partying like it was 2020. Yesterday, the European [...]
Taylor Wimpey swings to a loss in first half July 29, 2020 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey swung to a loss in the first half of the year after costs related to the coronavirus pandemic reached £39.2m. The figures The developer’s share price fell more than seven per cent this morning as it reported an operating loss of £16.1m, compared to a profit of £311.9m in 2019, and loss [...]
Small businesses must be equipped with cyber security training or we could lose post-Covid innovation March 9, 2021 The pandemic has changed many things about the way our economy operates. While some of these changes may be passing, others will no doubt stick. A successful recovery will take the best of both, recognising the way the economy is, and the way we want it to be – not how it was. One positive [...]
Before the Bell: Europe set for positive start as China data points to choppy recovery March 15, 2021 While US markets by and large have managed to retain their resilience, with new record highs for the Dow, S&P500 and Russell 2000 last week, the gains have been notably in sectors left behind by the huge tech rally that has help support most of the move higher in US equities over the last few [...]
John Lewis may convert department stores into affordable housing July 30, 2020 John Lewis is considering converting some of its store estate into housing in an attempt to strengthen its services business as the high street battles the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The retailer, which owns the department store chain and Waitrose, said it is exploring the concept of new mixed-use affordable housing with third parties. [...]
Supermarket growth slows as shoppers return to pre-lockdown habits July 21, 2020 Grocery sales in the the UK rose 14.6 per cent year-on-year in the four weeks to 12 July, but lost the momentum seen at the beginning of lockdown as restaurants, pubs and cafes were allowed to reopen. Supermarket sales slipped from 18.9 per cent growth the previous month, as shoppers tentatively returned to their normal [...]
Brexit: Manufacturers warn no-deal car crash will cost industry €110bn September 14, 2020 Brexit negotiations have been put on red alert after Europe and Britain’s car industries warned a no-deal scenario could spark a €110bn (£101.5bn) black hole in trade over the next five years. It comes as trade talks have progressed to their most delicate stage yet –– the UK government’s internal market bill enters its second [...]