UK house prices: Rightmove says the average London home could cost £1m by end of the decade September 21, 2015 London house prices are climbing at such a rapid rate that the average price could hit £1m by 2020. In news that will buoy homeowners but frighten Londoners with ownership aspirations, house prices in the capital jumped 2.2 per cent this month compared with August, according to figures published today by property website Rightmove. [...]
Shared ownership’s time has come so here’s six ideas to help home buyers in the high cost capital November 9, 2015 There is an iconic image of the Patterson family stood outside their house with Margaret Thatcher. The first people to purchase their home under Right to Buy in 1980, Thatcher delivered the deeds herself. Right to Buy is back in the news, with the government striking an agreement to extend the scheme to housing [...]
eBay share price rises as online auction site posts four per cent jump in revenue during first quarter of 2016 April 26, 2016 Shares in online retailer eBay rose by over 1.7 per cent in after hours trading as the company revealed a jump in revenue during the first three months of the year. Sales went up by four per cent, from $2.06bn (£1.41bn) in the first quarter of 2015, to $2.14bn, and gross profit went from $1.65bn to [...]
Mortgage approvals for first-time buyers rise as UK house price growth slows August 11, 2014 Mortgage lending is still being dominated by customers looking to buy houses rather than remortgage, and first-time buyers are on the up. According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) total gross lending for June was up six per cent on May and 20 per cent up on June 2013, totalling £17.9bn. £4.2bn of that [...]
From virtual reality to socks to the “Netflix of sports” — these nine companies are changing football through technology and innovation September 21, 2016 Modern football has become a magnet for cutting-edge technology and innovative ideas. The ever-increasing sums of money sloshing around in the sport have raised the stakes, forcing clubs to seek out the next marginal gain through state of the art software and brilliant minds, as well as providing ample business opportunities for enterprising fans. These [...]
Have we hit peak smartphone? Global growth hits two-year low as China’s sales decline for first time ever August 20, 2015 Is Peak Smartphone upon us? Drooping sales in China have caused smartphone sales to hit the brakes with the slowest growth rate since 2013, according to Gartner’s latest report, released today. In China, the world’s largest market, sales have fallen for the first time ever, with a four per cent decline year on year. Anshul [...]
The three most important things Sajid Javid said about steel on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show April 3, 2016 Business minister Sajid Javid has appeared on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning to defend the government's handling of the steel crisis. Here are the three most important things he said during the interview. 1. A private buyer is best, but privatisation not ruled out Javid insisted a private buyer for Port Talbot and the rest of Tata's UK [...]
Brexit threat: Property financiers must keep calm and carry on lending July 8, 2016 Before and since the result of the UK’s referendum on European Union membership, uncertainty has pervaded – not least in property markets. Weak construction PMI data, a spate of flagship property funds halting redemptions and downgrades from City analysts has further shaken confidence. Forecasts for companies in the sector have been reduced on the basis [...]
Four reasons why the Fed should not postpone a rate hike September 17, 2015 The probability of the US Federal Reserve ending seven years of near-zero interest rates September is stronger than is generally believed. While there is no perfect timing for the tightening monetary policy, several arguments confirm that the Fed is able to begin this month if it so desires. Here are the four we can see: The [...]
Don’t rely on downsizing to make up for your insufficient pension October 27, 2016 After years of runaway house prices, few will be surprised that a sizeable proportion of the UK’s net wealth is tied up in property. The latest ONS statistics show that dwellings make up a massive 62 per cent, or £5.5 trillion, of the country’s £8.8 trillion total. So it is also unsurprising that many see [...]