How to make Brexit the insurance industry’s next big opportunity May 5, 2017 Singapore, Qatar, Dubai and Bermuda. Forget worrying about British-based businesses moving to EU capitals – these are the jurisdictions with which we must compete if our vital insurance industry is to thrive. Over the next two years, there is a risk that so much energy will be expended on Brexit negotiations that we will neglect [...]
Housebuilders suffer second day of share price falls in a row July 5, 2016 Housebuilders are off to a bad start again today as share prices in the UK's biggest property companies are falling for a second day in a row. Despite announcing a six per cent rise in sales, Persimmon's share price slipped by 3.9 per cent in early morning trading. Read more: UK property funds could be in [...]
Number of new homes registered in London dropped by a third last year February 3, 2017 New home registrations in London dropped by a third last year as developers put the brakes on building following stamp duty reforms and the Brexit vote. The number of registrations – or homes developers plan to build – dropped from 25,760 in 2015 to just 17,322, according to figures from the National House Building Council [...]
City office rents propped up in uncertain times by low supply March 15, 2017 Rents in the City's offices are being propped up by low supply, with only three buildings set to be completed in the capital's financial quarter this year. This year 1 Angel Court, 45 Cannon Street and the Scalpel will be finished, and Chris Vydra, City leasing agent for CBRE, said that the dearth of new [...]
UK commercial construction hit a rough patch in 2016, falling nearly 15 per cent January 31, 2017 Commercial construction activity for the 2016 calendar year fell to £16.7bn, down 14.1 per cent on the previous period, according a new report by JLL, the property services company. The reduced work is a result of lower numbers of new build developments, which are down 18.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter, while refurbishments are 6.8 per cent lower [...]
Autumn Budget 2017 at-a-glance guide: All the announcements by chancellor Philip Hammond you need to know November 22, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has unveiled the Autumn Budget, saying the UK must “seize the opportunities” for Britain and promised to invest “to secure a bright future”. Now we’ve heard plenty about what was expected from today, from a concerted focus on housing, to a regulatory revamp for driverless cars and a slew of tech spending. [...]
Crossrail 2 boss Michèle Dix expects government decision to keep project on track next month April 10, 2017 The boss of Crossrail 2 is hoping to get the go-ahead to push on with the £30bn project by next month. Crossrail 2 managing director Michèle Dix said there is “very good cross-party support up and down the route”, and she was hoping the government will give Crossrail 2’s business case and funding plan the [...]
Forterra share price rises as brickmaker reports strong activity from housebuilding sector in 2016 March 15, 2017 Forterra's share price nosed up this morning after the company said it had experienced "strong activity levels" from housebuilders. Britain's second largest brickmaker posted modest annual growth, which its boss said was "good progress in the delivery of our strategy". The figures Revenue rose by 1.5 per cent to £295m while earnings jumped 4.6 per cent [...]
How London’s most exciting new arts venues are being built by its most profitable housebuilders April 27, 2017 A famous Churchill anecdote recalls the time the former Prime Minister was asked to cut arts funding to aid the war effort. He refused, apparently, remarking, “Then what are we fighting for?” As with most apocryphal tales, there’s a larger truth at its heart. During times of austerity and uncertainty, grants for culture and entertainment [...]
Financial services report gloomiest outlook since 2008 crisis January 23, 2017 Hiring increases in the face of falling optimism rounded off a mixed picture for the financial services sector in the quarterly survey run by the CBI and PwC. The survey of 103 firms showed declining sentiment for the fourth consecutive quarter. A drop of 35 per cent in optimism about the overall business situation was [...]