UK house prices: We can ramp up housebuilding by turning offices into flats – if the planners let us April 1, 2015 The UK suffers from an acute housing shortage, and this has led to prices outpacing incomes in nearly every year since the early 1990s. Most government initiatives to address this problem, however, have merely resulted in greater demand for properties. In fact, the only way to tackle the issue properly is to increase supply. But [...]
What’s going to happen to the tech industry in 2016? Fewer IPOs, compressed unicorn valuation and slowing M&A activity December 8, 2015 The year 2015 was packed with fintech unicorns, blockchain hype and tech bubble fears – but what’s in store for the tech industry in 2016? M&A advisers Magister Advisors have peered into their crystal ball and offered their top predictions. The TL;DR version? Expect 2015’s “reality distortion field” to dissolve next year. Gulp. 1. Don’t hold your breath for [...]
How much are Neymar and Gareth Bale worth? Investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald believes it has the definitive answer on player values February 3, 2016 Football clubs have been urged to shut out the noise and defer to statistical analysis sourced from the City, during another high-spending January transfer window. Premier League clubs surpassed £1bn in total transfer spend for the first time in 2015 and invested another £175m last month. With such increasingly huge sums at stake, club owners are [...]
Budget 2015: George Osborne plays to the crowd with a populist plan March 18, 2015 Despite the chancellor promising not to pull a rabbit from the hat, there were in fact plenty of Budget bunnies to be seen this year. With the UK now growing ahead of its major international competitors and an General Election coming up so soon, it’s clear that George Osborne felt confident enough to splash out [...]
Budget 2015: Who were the winners and losers? March 18, 2015 Winners Pubs and drinkersThe Budget will be a boon for the country's pubs, bars and restaurants, as well the drinkers who frequent them. Beer duty was cut buy one penny per pint while duty on both cider and whisky received a two per cent cut. Meanwhile, the tax on wine and tobacco will also be [...]
Stamp duty cut boosts house buyer deposits January 20, 2015 HOUSE buyers have redirected their stamp duty payments into bigger deposits after the Autumn Statement tax cut, the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) said today. The mortgage broker said deposits reached their highest level in 14 months in December. Average buyers’ deposits stood at 30.7 per cent of the total price paid in December, up from a [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne’s speech transcript in full including stamp duty, business rates and corporation tax announcements November 25, 2015 Mr Speaker, this Spending Review delivers on the commitment we made to the British people that we would put security first. To protect our economic security, by taking the difficult decisions to live within our means and bring down our debt. To protect our national security, by defending our country’s interests abroad and keeping our [...]
Mapped: The most unaffordable places to get a mortgage in the UK January 8, 2015 Last year the bar was raised for first-time buyers hoping to get a mortgage, as the Bank of England introduced new rules limiting the amount banks and building societies can lend. For the first time, the amount mortgage customers can borrow has been capped at 4.5 times their income. If you're looking to buy that [...]
The Yorkshire attacks account switch stitch up February 24, 2015 THE YORKSHIRE Building Society wants to become a challenger in the current account market, but its boss yesterday said it cannot because the switching service is not working. Seven-day switching helped the numbers moving between banks rise to 1.16m last year, but chief executive Chris Pilling told City A.M. that this is not the “game-changing shift” the [...]
London house prices: Luxury apartments in Gatti House on the Strand have broken street’s square footage record October 8, 2015 A new luxury development on the Strand has broken the record for the cost of square footage in the central London district. Grade II listed Gatti House was sold as four separate apartments, with the penthouse going for around £2,260 per sq ft, while the first floor was sold for £2,100 per sq ft. This is thought to be the [...]