London Report: Building boost helps FTSE snap its losing streak March 17, 2014 BRITAIN’S top share index snapped its longest losing streak in two and a half years yesterday as the building sector surged on a government plan to pump more cash into a scheme to boost construction. Persimmon was among top FTSE gainers, rising 3.7 per cent after chancellor George Osborne said on Sunday he would extend [...]
Aviva share price falls as Friends Life shares rise: Surprised market reacts to deal bombshell November 24, 2014 The market was divided yesterday following the announcement of a planned merger between insurer Aviva and its competitor Friends Life. Aviva saw its shares fall by more than five per cent during the day, while shares in Friends Life climbed by six per cent. Most analysts agreed that the announcement was surprising, with [...]
Booming housing market could see Help to Buy scaled back February 18, 2014 UK house prices continued their forward march at the end of 2013, with the capital pulling even further ahead from the pack and the average house price hitting £250,000. Figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown London house prices rose 0.9 per cent in December, putting them more than a fifth higher than [...]
Blackberry Passport: The “innovative” smartphone with a square screen September 24, 2014 Blackberry’s Passport is the new strangely shaped smartphone the company hopes will help restore its diminished presence in the smartphone market. Passport, launching today, will at the very least grab people’s attention. Its 4.5 square inch HD screen is square in shape and far wider than what seasoned smartphone buyers are used to. [...]
Mortgage approvals skyrocket to 76-month high February 25, 2014 Mortgage approvals have skyrocketed by 57 per cent year-on-year to a 76-month high in January, according to the British Bankers Association (BBA). Approvals for house purchases leapt to 49,972 in January from 47,086 in December. The numbers follow a stream of data showing a sustained burst of activity in the UK housing market. In 2013, [...]
City’s Gherkin skyscraper to be sold off with £640m starting price tag July 28, 2014 The City’s iconic Gherkin has been put up for sale on the open market after it collapsed into receivership earlier this year, with a price tag of around £640m. Receivers at Deloitte have appointed their real estate arm and Savills to sell 30 St Mary’s Axe, which will be advertised to buyers across the [...]
Time is money: Why are watches so expensive? December 3, 2014 There’s a very good reason top quality watches can set you back six figures. Let us start with a description of two dramatically different approaches to highend mechanical watchmaking. Bear with me. Firstly: “At certain moments you might leave the drawing and let the metal guide you… I really value the fact that I can [...]
Lloyds: 40pc of our top managers will be women in 2020 February 3, 2014 LLOYDS will hire 600 more female managers over the next six years, the bank’s chief will promise in a speech tomorrow. Antonio Horta Osorio will commit to ensuring 40 per cent of senior staff are female by 2020. Currently 28 per cent of the bank’s 5,000 senior staff are female, equating to 1,400 employees. The [...]
Mortgage lending soars. But will it all end in tears? December 12, 2013 Lending to first time buyers rose dramatically in October, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. First time buyers advanced 26,800 loans in October, the largest number of loans in a monthly period since November 2007. Strong buyer interest is strengthening activity in the housing market but limited supply remains a major problem. House prices [...]
More UK home buyers are using cash to seal deal June 3, 2015 A RECORD high proportion of homes were sold without the need for a mortgage during the first three months of year, a major mortgage provider said yesterday. The share of cash purchases in the housing market reached an all-time high of 38 per cent in the first three months of the year, according to Nationwide. [...]