Confidence returns as Taylor Wimpey sees demand pushing up its forecasts June 30, 2011 PENT-UP demand and tight supply will prop up the UK housing market well into 2012, British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey predicted after it reported stronger margins and said it sees full-year profit forecasts being nudged higher. “Overall, we expect it [full-year pretax profit] to be slightly better than the market is currently expecting,” chief executive Pete [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS June 15, 2011 3i GROUP Killik & Co notes that 3i issued a release this week announcing the sale of its stake in Ålö, a manufacturer of front-end loaders for tractors, for €240m. The sale sees 3i make approximately a four times money multiple on its original investment. The broker says 3i trades on a 22 per cent [...]
Chancellor slashes stamp duty for first-time buyers March 24, 2010 ALISTAIR Darling has said stamp duty will be scrapped on house purchases up to £250,000 for first-time buyers – to be funded by a five per cent levy on those buying homes over £1m. The chancellor unveiled the measures in his budget in which he said the economy was at a “crossroads”. Meanwhile he said [...]
House prices down 3.9 per cent on June December 1, 2010 HOUSE prices fell by another 0.3 per cent in November, mortgage-lender Nationwide announced yesterday. The news follows an even sharper drop in the previous month, as prices fell 0.7 per cent on September. Prices have either fallen or stagnated since June, according to Nationwide’s statistics. The average house price in the UK is now £163,398, [...]
New buyers gain in slump November 8, 2010 A SLOWDOWN in the housing market could tempt first-time buyers to take their first step onto the property ladder over the coming year, new research has shown. Around 26 per cent of people who intend to buy a home will be doing so for the first time, up from a low of 22 per cent [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 28, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BHP BILLITON DIGS IN AGAINST STRIKING MINERS BHP Billiton has declared force majeure on exports from the world’s biggest copper mine, as a mineworkers’ strike entered its eighth day. The strike at BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile, which supplied 7 per cent of the world’s copper last year, comes in a month of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 28, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES BHP BILLITON DIGS IN AGAINST STRIKING MINERS BHP Billiton has declared force majeure on exports from the world’s biggest copper mine, as a mineworkers’ strike entered its eighth day. The strike at BHP’s Escondida mine in Chile, which supplied 7 per cent of the world’s copper last year, comes in a month of [...]
BASILDON January 13, 2011 BEECHWOOD VILLAGE Price: £234,000 A contemporary four-bedroom home with style and eco-credentials. Its slick interior belies this property’s energy-efficient design which promises reduced carbon emissions and a sizeable dent in your energy bill. Leafy avenues, a cycle lane and an ecological park comprise this house’s idyllic environs. Contact: Swan New Homes on 08000 195005 or [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 11, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES INSURERS TO FUND POLICE TEAM IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN Insurers are to spend £8.2m funding a specialist police unit that will be dedicated to cracking down on the growing problem of insurance fraud, which costs an estimated £2bn a year. A new unit of 35 specialist fraud detectives and police support staff will be [...]
Lawyers are bad at business? Think again February 8, 2011 THIS paper recently ran an article warning that for lawyers “doom is nigh” and that they should shape up or ship out. The context was the Legal Services Act and its welcome shake up of the way in which legal services can be delivered. The article had many solid, good messages: in summary, cutting overheads [...]