Six-pack: The chancellor shows his muscle with final budget of this parliament March 18, 2015 2010 THE EMERGENCY BUDGET In need of some instant austerity, chancellor George Osborne hikes VAT to 20 per cent. Child benefit is frozen for three years. 2011 THE NORTH SEA BUDGET A supplementary tax on North Sea oil firms is lifted from 20 per cent to 32 per cent. Yet the cut to corporation tax is [...]
London property prices: Luxury homes are so expensive in London, the uber-rich are going bargain hunting in New York November 30, 2015 Luxury homes in London cost "double" those in New York, new research has suggested – meaning super-wealthy Britons are increasingly going bargain hunting in Big Apple. The Transatlantic Wealth Report, by upmarket British estate agent Beauchamp Estates and New York equivalent Leslie J Garfield, found the value of luxury homes in London's most exclusive areas is typically [...]
General Election 2015: The 10 key points of the Conservative Party manifesto April 14, 2015 David Cameron has launched the Conservative Party manifesto ahead of May’s General Election, promising the “good life” for Brits, with pledges on housing, childcare and increasing the personal tax allowance. At the launch in Swindon, Cameron promised to “finish the job” of fixing the economy and sought to win over voters heading to polling stations come [...]
UK house prices: Greenwich, Kew, Westminster and the country’s Unesco World Heritage sites command an £80k property premium November 17, 2015 Homeowners living near the landmarks of maritime Greenwich or leafy Kew Gardens are sitting on a premium worth nearly £80,000. Along with another 27 spots across the country – from Devon to Orkney- homes nearby command more thanks to their status as a World Heritage Site. While the average property price across the UK comes in at £284,127, those located near to a [...]
Budget 2015: Personal finance groups including Hargreaves Lansdown, St James’ Place and Rathbone’s share price boosted by “saving revolution” Budget March 18, 2015 Personal finance groups were treated to a share price boost this afternoon, after George Osborne unveiled “a saving revolution”. Bristol-based IFA Hargreaves Lansdown led the pack, up 4.8 per cent at pixel time. St James' Place also jumped on the announcements, up 3.5 per cent. Rathbone Brothers's share price was up two per cent, while [...]
Private equity firms dine out on restaurant chains January 19, 2016 The restaurants and bar sector was a veritable feeding frenzy of deals last year, with more choice of companies to buy than an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. Robust trading conditions thanks to improved consumer spending provided an opportune time for private equity companies to sell long-term investments to rival buyout firms with cash to spend. CBPE’s sale of [...]
What will secondary markets look like in crowdfunding and P2P? And what should investors be thinking about? November 19, 2015 Imagine you’d loaned money to a company via a debt-based crowdfunding platform. The term of the loan was 10 years, but after five, despite earning a decent return on it, you decide you want the original loan amount back. This is where a secondary market comes in, allowing you to sell your previously issued security [...]
HSBC provides bounce as FTSE hits new highs – London Report April 27, 2015 THE FTSE rose to another record high yesterday as reports suggesting HSBC will spin off its British retail bank in a £20bn ($30bn) deal boosted stocks. The banking giant was up 3.1 per cent and has already said it is reviewing whether to keep its headquarters in London, given increased regulation and the possibility of [...]
Focus on Bermondsey: Take a walk on the south side April 9, 2015 Affordable housing in Zone One is becoming something of a rarity in London, but look just south of the river and you’ll find one area in particular that’s still a decent prospect for first-time buyers looking for a good investment. Paul Bent, sales manager at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s London Bridge branch says young professionals [...]
Housing market activity picks up after cooling over winter February 15, 2015 THE AVERAGE London residential property price was 2.8 per cent higher in February than in January, new figures show today. However, the average time it takes to sell has climbed to 69 days, according to the data released by Rightmove. It marks seven straight months of increase in the time taken to sell a property, [...]