ETFs are ideal for commercial property plays February 10, 2010 ONE of the biggest casualties of the financial crisis was the commercial property sector – capital values slumped 45 per cent in the UK, according to the Investment Property Databank (IPD). The recession also saw occupier demand contract, which drove up vacancy rates and forced down rents. But since the summer, we have seen an [...]
British Land shares suffer as values cut May 21, 2009 SHARES in British Land took a battering yesterday after the company wrote down £3.2bn on the value of its property portfolio, reviving fears that banks will suffer huge losses from commercial mortgage lending. Announcing its annual results, the commercial property group said its net asset value tumbled 64 per cent to 398p a share, well [...]
British Land shares suffer as values cut May 21, 2009 SHARES in British Land took a battering yesterday after the company wrote down £3.2bn on the value of its property portfolio, reviving fears that banks will suffer huge losses from commercial mortgage lending. Announcing its annual results, the commercial property group said its net asset value tumbled 64 per cent to 398p a share, well [...]
Keep it real in the Caribbean, just the place for sun, sand and security July 1, 2010 THE appeal of white sand, turquoise sea and a developed infrastructure all in one is too strong to be destroyed by an economic downturn, even this one. While prices sank by 20-25 per cent in two of the British Caribbean’s hottest spots, Barbados and St Lucia, the market has far from stalled. In fact, buyers [...]
CITY HEADS OUT FOR A GLORIOUS WEEK OF RACING AT GOODWOOD July 27, 2010 HORSERACING fanatics in the City have abandoned ship again this week to head over to Glorious Goodwood, running all week until Saturday. Around 100,000 attendees are expected to descend on Goodwood over the course of the festival, with the Tote estimating its potential winnings at £2.75m from 300,000 bets. Schmoozing at the first day of [...]
The elegant side of the Balearics June 20, 2010 THERE is so much more to Mallorca than sun, sea and the late-night drunken menace of us Brits in Magaluf. The largest of Spain’s Balearic Islands, the 3,275 sq km atoll has mountains, lush vegetation and close to 100 sandy beaches, many of which are secluded because they are up to half an hour’s walk [...]
Harding walks to TalkTalk December 15, 2009 DIDO Harding, the former Tesco executive who heads Sainsbury’s convenience stores, is to join TalkTalk as its chief executive when it demerges from Carphone Warehouse. TalkTalk will be Britain’s biggest residential broadband provider when it splits from the retail arm of Carphone Warehouse next year. Harding, who previously held management positions at Thomas Cook and [...]
THE TIPSTER May 19, 2010 THE airline that once billed itself as the world’s favourite is set to report fourth quarter results on Friday, but it has hardly been an upbeat few months for British Airways. Although these profit figures will not include the disruption caused by the volcano in Iceland, the carrier has been mired in an industrial dispute [...]
A tranquil heaven far from clubland May 6, 2010 AS any Europhile will tell you, away from the clubs, Ibiza is one of the Mediterranean’s brightest gems: as tranquil and exotic as anywhere in Europe, with crystalline waters, dramatic vegetation, ancient stone architecture, wonderful local cuisines and a true Spanish feel. And with British Airways’s new direct flights from City Airport, Ibiza’s charms as [...]
Clerical Medical close to sale of Lands Improvement to MGPA November 25, 2009 CLERICAL MEDICAL, the pensions fund owned by Lloyds Banking Group, is poised to complete the sale of its property division Lands Improvement Holdings (LIH). Clerical will offload LIH to the acquisitive MGPA, the Macquarie-backed property group that has been in the running on a number of high-profile property deals this year, including British Land’s sale [...]