Mortgage lending falls November 18, 2011 Gross mortgage lending decreased four per cent from September, down to an estimated £13.1bn in October, said the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) today. Though there was a 13 per cent increase from October 2010, up from £11.6bn, housing market activity is still low compared to long term averages, industry experts said. Housing prices are [...]
Barratt stays upbeat due to higher prices November 16, 2011 SHARES in Barratt Developments rose seven per cent yesterday after the housebuilder said it was on track to report a “significant” improvement in its full-year profit, boosted by higher reservation rates and selling prices. The UK’s largest housebuilder said the average weekly number of reservations for new homes rose by 25.9 per cent in the [...]
Barratt stays upbeat due to higher prices November 16, 2011 SHARES in Barratt Developments rose seven per cent yesterday after the housebuilder said it was on track to report a “significant” improvement in its full-year profit, boosted by higher reservation rates and selling prices. The UK’s largest housebuilder said the average weekly number of reservations for new homes rose by 25.9 per cent in the [...]
London still in housing price boom November 10, 2011 HOUSE prices in the capital are increasingly detached from those in the rest of the country as international wealth pours into London, according to a report from real estate adviser Savills, published today. Central London prices are set to grow by 22.7 per cent over the next five years, the report predicts, as over £4bn [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 23, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Web pioneer sues over iTunes A General Electric-owned company is squaring up to Apple in a Pennsylvania courtroom over whether its patents were infringed when Apple launched its iTunes platform. The case, which pits two of the US’s biggest companies against each other, is the latest in a string of high-profile patent disputes involving technology [...]
Pride before a fall: Osborne looked to special interests, not the UK’s perilous state November 29, 2011 THE Autumn Statement showed that George Osborne has failed to grasp the gravity of the economic crisis facing the UK. Urgent action was needed to brace the economy for double-dip recession and the fallout from the euro crisis. Instead, the chancellor announced a big increase in government borrowing, together with a series of measures that, [...]
Kia’s new Cee’d cuts quite a dash May 29, 2012 The first thing you’ll notice with this car is its styling. It’s a product from Kia, a car brand that used only to attract the most rational of buyers: one that excelled at value, rather than glamour. Their cars only appealed to drivers who were focused on budget, rather than image. But its latest Cee’d [...]
Nationwide’s warning over Euro turmoil November 22, 2011 THE EUROZONE crisis is forcing up the cost of UK retail deposits, the chief executive of Nationwide warned yesterday as the lending giant reported a rise in profits. Graham Beale said the added funding costs would be felt for as long as the single currency remained mired in a sovereign debt problem. “Whilst the initial [...]
Cameron says Eurozone crisis is “chilling” UK November 21, 2011 Prime Minister David Cameron will warn today that the crisis in the Eurozone is having a “chilling effect” on the UK economy, even as he sets out plans to spend £400m to kick-start growth. The government’s growth drive, which will focus on funding new housing, is likely to be one of many announced in coming [...]
Rent rises start slowing but still exceed incomes November 17, 2011 RENTS hit a new high in October, according to LSL Property Services’ monthly buy-to-let index, published today, though the rate of increase fell to its lowest since February. The average rent in England and Wales rose by 0.2 per cent in October to £720 per month, the index showed. The increase compares with a jump [...]