Chinese boom fuels jump in global deals March 29, 2015 A wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is on the way this year, driving a hiring boom in the City and shaking up industries across the globe. A combination of ultra-low interest rates and increasing confidence in the economy has encouraged firms to buy up rivals. And firms which see little room for organic growth [...]
Value of London mortgages rockets 37pc May 28, 2014 Another sign of the surging housing market: the value of mortgages to home buyers in Greater London jumped 37 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter of this year – to £5.6bn. The figure was actually down 10 per cent from the fourth quarter of 2013 – a seasonal dip impacting lending, [...]
Bank of England minutes: Policymakers vote 9-0 to keep rates on hold May 20, 2015 Minutes from the Bank of England's May meeting have shown little change, with the monetary policy committee again voting 9-0 to keep interest rates at 0.5 per cent. Two members felt the decision was "finely balanced", implying they're thinking about reversing their vote. All members agreed interest rates "were more likely than not" to rise over the [...]
UK house prices at record high as growth slows amid General Election uncertainty April 16, 2015 The average price of a property across England and Wales was at a new record last month, despite March seeing the smallest annual change in house prices since November 2013. A house now costs on average of £275,123. This is a 5.6 per cent annual rise, equating to £14,620. However, in London and the south [...]
Car review: BMW’s futuristic new 7 Series lets you talk to your car using hand signals June 22, 2015 From city traders to third-world dictators, the Mercedes S-class has traditionally been the default limo of choice. BMW’s 7 Series won fans among those who prefer to drive than be driven, but it could never match the S-class for all-round appeal. The new 7 Series, though, could take the lustre off Mercedes’ three-pointed star. [...]
Scotland’s prime property market leaps as buyers race to avoid stamp duty increase February 23, 2015 The number of upmarket homes being sold in Scotland jumped 88 per cent between the second quarter and the fourth quarter of last year, and more than double the figure for the first three months of the year, as buyers raced to avoid a hike in transaction costs due to take place later this year. [...]
In graphs: London house prices up 19.3 per cent, UK 10.2 per cent August 25, 2014 As we reported earlier, UK house prices were up 10.2 per cent in the twelve months to June, according to Office of National Statistics (ONS) data. This was slightly lower than the figures of 10.4 per cent for the 12 months to May but still staunch growth. The news is that growth has slowed, corroborating the [...]
Fighting forward: The Black Farmer’s Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones talks sausages, political incorrectness and willpower May 31, 2015 Being an entrepreneur is all about timing. You can have the best-laid plans in the world, a huge amount of skill, but it’s really about catching the zeitgeist.” This is Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones’s opening line to me. After a brief pause, he adds, “life is also all about timing”. This is something the founder of [...]
Maximum excitement on the six nations with sporting index February 5, 2015 THE SIX Nations is a really competitive affair and makes for a great betting heat. Scotland and Italy’s wait for a first title in the new format looks certain to go on, so we are down to four teams who could take glory. Sporting Index traders can’t split England and Ireland on their Outright 60 [...]
UK property prices: House price growth still falling – but mortgage approvals are up April 9, 2015 Growth in house prices fell again in the three months to March, to 8.1 per cent, down from 8.5 per cent in January, research by Halifax suggested today. That puts growth at a "similar" rate to September 2014 – although it's now "significantly" below July's peak of 10.2 per cent, it added. Month on month, [...]