UK house sales at their highest since 2007, but seasonally adjusted figures show drop July 22, 2014 There was another sign that the UK property market may be cooling, after the HMRC released figures showing that the number of properties sold in the month of June had dropped – when the numbers are adjusted by season. Although the raw number of sales for June, 109,580, is the highest since November 2007 (and [...]
The devil you know, the devil you don’t: How to protect your investments whoever wins the US election October 25, 2016 As polling day draws near, it is regrettable that the contest to become the 45th President of the United States has been more about personality than policy. The campaign has been distinguished on one side by preposterous promises to suspend the entry of Muslims into the country and build a hard border with Mexico, and [...]
Fancy living opposite painter Hogarth’s House in Chiswick? January 28, 2016 New homes do have a certain reputation for being identikit, sterile, cramped places to live in, but on the other hand, traditional period homes are dismissed as draughty, stuffy and expensive to maintain. But a new development in Chiswick, currently being marketed by a former Apprentice finalist, is aiming to strike somewhere in the middle with [...]
Lloyds’ share price still has encouraging long term outlook despite chancellor George Osborne’s delay January 28, 2016 The chancellor has announced that the planned sale of the government’s shares in Lloyds to the public won’t proceed until turbulent markets have calmed down. This must be a big disappointment to the hundreds and thousands of investors who have registered their interest in the sale. But while the whole of the banking sector has been [...]
Foxtons hit by stamp duty changes and EU uncertainty March 8, 2016 Foxtons said it has been hit by falling volumes in central London as stamp duty pressures put off buyers. The figures Although revenues grew 4.1 per cent to £149.8m in the year to the end of December, pre-tax profits fell 2.6 per cent to £41m, Foxtons said this morning. But sales revenue rose 3.4 per cent to £72.2m as the number of units it sold rose 4.4 [...]
Dunelm share price drops as the homeware chain blames the weather for disappointing Christmas sales January 13, 2016 Dunelm's share price has tumbled nearly five per cent after the homeware chain blamed the warm winter weather for disappointing second quarter sales, placing it among the retail losers this Christmas. The family-owned listed company, which has 151 stores selling everything from curtains to sofas, said like-for-like sales slid by 0.8 per cent in the 13 weeks to 2 January after stripping out the impact of [...]
Is your house a smart home? Or is it a big idiot made of bricks? Sort it out with our list of the best connected home gadgets June 1, 2016 Best for Heating Up Your House: Nest Thermostat £249 – nest.com/uk Easily the object on this page that most resembles the homicidal computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the super clever Nest thermostat gradually learns how to heat your home, switches the heating off while you’re out and warms things up in time for your [...]
London house prices: Demand for luxury new-build apartments will drop this year – and prices won’t recover until 2018 February 29, 2016 Demand for London's luxury new-build apartments has fallen, one of the world's largest property services companies has admitted – and prices won't begin to recover until 2018. JLL said it was cutting its growth forecast for the capital's high-end properties, after economic uncertainty and the chancellor's three per cent stamp duty hike for second home buyers [...]
Chinese consumers are changing their habits rapidly as luxury has suffered a slow death and online takes off April 24, 2016 Beijing is awash with restaurants, but locals Cherry and Andy Ho haven’t bothered going out to eat for months. The proliferation of Groupon-style coupons and deals means it’s easier to have food delivered. It’s half the cost, with no delivery charge – great for consumers, but not so good for some traditional businesses. Indeed, this was among [...]
Vice Media to launch new Viceland TV channel on Sky and Now TV in September March 9, 2016 Vice Media, the group behind the millennials' favourite website Vice News, will launch a 24-hour television channel called Viceland on Sky and Sky's online streaming service Now TV this September. The 24-hour channel will be programmed, developed and produced in-house by Vice's creative team and will be available for all Sky TV customers in their [...]