US home sales lose tax boost January 25, 2010 SALES of previously owned US homes fell at the fastest pace on record last month as the boost from a popular tax credit faded, industry data showed yesterday. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said existing home sales fell 16.7 per cent to an annual rate of 5.45m units in December. Analysts had expected a [...]
House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
House price boom starts to crumble June 28, 2010 HOME prices fell for the first time in more than a year in May, Land Registry data showed yesterday, sparking fears of a second downturn in Britain’s fragile housing market. The average residential property dropped 0.2 per cent in value during the month as uncertainty over austerity measures to be enforced by the incoming government [...]
Bellway urges caution over housebuilding February 5, 2010 HOUSEBUILDER Bellway today said it remains cautious over the prospects for the housing market despite a modest pick-up in sales in first-half trading. The Newcastle-based group sold 2,247 homes in the six months to the end of January, up 12 per cent on the previous year. Its order book stood at £390 million or 2,506 [...]
City workers slam class war Budget March 24, 2010 THE City was left unconvinced by yesterday’s Budget, slamming Darling for failing to provide a clear outline on how the government was planning to reduce its huge deficit. Banks were being sent a contradictory message, critics said, pointing out that Darling has asked nationalised banks such as Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland to [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF FIRST GROUP’S RESULTS? May 12, 2010 JONATHAN JACKSON | KILLIK & CO “The stock currently trades at an undemanding 8.9 times March 2011 earnings. We believe this is too low for a company that offers both recovery potential and outsourcing opportunities. We remain buyers.” MANOJ LADWA | ETX CAPITAL “First Group’s set of numbers would be even more impressive if it [...]
Ocado June 20, 2010 THE former Goldman bankers behind Ocado certainly have chutzpah. Trying to reach a £1bn valuation in a flotation is a tall order for pretty much any firm in these times; to do so without having turned a single penny of profit is nothing short of brazen. Ocado’s product is top-drawer in many respects, there’s no [...]
Cotswolds classics are always in demand July 1, 2010 PICTURE the idyllic country home and the chances are you’ll conjure up some quaint, mullioned stone cottage in the Cotswolds. Far beyond a fad, the Cotswolds are home to what many consider England’s most appealing rural villages. They ooze a well-heeled ambiance but provide countryside and an equestrian community that is second to none, all [...]
House price gains set to be wiped out July 18, 2010 ALL the gains seen in property prices over the past six months will be wiped out by the end of the year, thanks to more aggressive pricing and an increase in the number of houses coming on to the market, property website Rightmove will say today. The forecast forms part of its monthly survey of [...]
House price gains set to be wiped out July 18, 2010 ALL the gains seen in property prices over the past six months will be wiped out by the end of the year, thanks to more aggressive pricing and an increase in the number of houses coming on to the market, property website Rightmove will say today. The forecast forms part of its monthly survey of [...]