At the close: FTSE 100 charges into bull territory as investors cheer leadership certainty and the weak pound drives up profits July 11, 2016 Well, there it is. The FTSE 100 has swung from bear market territory to a bull market in just over six months. The twists and turns of the day's political events gave a fresh boost to the global FTSE 100, while the UK focused FTSE 250 also posted strong gains. Housebuilders, such as Barrat Developments and [...]
Say what? EU referendum week gets off to a stonking start as sterling and FTSE close higher – pushed up by banking and housebuilding shares June 20, 2016 Investors may have been bracing themselves for a disastrous pre-referendum week – but things got off to a pretty good start today, with sterling hitting its highest since May, and banking shares bouncing back after a less-than-impressive performance last week. The FTSE 100 closed three per cent per cent higher – soaring above 6,000 points to hit 6,204. Meanwhile, the pound [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 bulldozes over Brexit concerns as oil and metal prices climb June 6, 2016 The FTSE 100 managed to kick off the week with a rise today, finishing up one per cent at 6,273.40 points. A jump in commodity prices managed to offset fears of Brexit that dragged down house builders. A flurry of recent polls have put the leave campaign neck-and-neck with remain as the 23 June vote draws nearer. The news [...]
At the close: Er, what? FTSE 100 rallies after sharp morning losses and despite banking bloodbath June 24, 2016 The FTSE 100 has staged a recovery almost as remarkable – and less expected – as its dramatic plunge at the start of the day. The blue-chip index proved remarkably resilient to the shock vote for the UK to leave the European Union and ended the day at 6,162.97 points, down 2.76 per cent or 175 points. After tumbling more [...]
Henley Camland strikes major deal with Land Securities for part of the Ebbsfleet Eastern Quarry garden city April 26, 2016 Private equity firm Henley has bought a major component of the Ebbsfleet scheme, one of the UK's largest residential schemes, from Land Securities. Fresh from selling more than 500 plots to Taylor Wimpey yesterday, Land Securities has today revealed another deal, selling two "village" sites at the Eastern Quarry, which have capacity for around 4,700 homes, [...]
Transport for London Bill slammed by RMT as multi-billion pound rip off April 12, 2016 The RMT union has slammed the Transport for London Bill as a "multi-billion pound rip off" ahead its third reading in parliament tonight. The bill was introduced to help TfL maximise profits that it makes from developing its property. It aims to allow TfL power to enter into partnerships with property developers to generating cash in [...]
Land Securities warns Brexit could be “painful for the property industry” as it reports pre-tax profits plunge May 17, 2016 Land Securities’ pre-tax profits almost halved in the year to 31 March amid “uncertainty in the lead up to the EU referendum”. It said a Brexit could be “painful for the property industry and those it supports” but stated that it could “thrive” no matter what the outcome. The figures In the year to 31 March, Land [...]
UK Budget: Housebuilders’ shares jump after chancellor George Osborne’s speech March 16, 2016 Housebuilders took off after the chancellor delivered his Budget today, announcing plans to speed up investment plans in priority areas. Persimmon's share price rose over 2.5 per cent on the speech, while Taylor Wimpey rose over 3.5 per cent. Barratt Developments was up over 3.4 per cent. Berekeley Group also rose by close to 1.5 per cent. "Reform [...]
Sadiq Khan slams Boris Johnson’s “toothless” Concordat housing scheme at Mayor’s Question Time June 22, 2016 Sadiq Khan has slammed former mayor Boris Johnson's flagship housing scheme for failing to stop new London homes being sold as "golden bricks" to overseas investors. Johnson's Concordat scheme, which was launched in 2014, was pitched as the solution to stopping major developers advertising London homes abroad first for overseas buyers, who had months more [...]
Best of British: Four top UK stocks for your ISA – the cream of the house builders, defence, television and retail May 31, 2016 The UK is home to many great businesses and buying shares in ones with good business models and prospects for growth can be a great way to boost savings in an Isa or Sipp. Markets have been rocky this year because of Brexit and trouble overseas, but we asked the best fund managers for examples of [...]