Recession knife-edge: Consumer spending on credit at £1.3bn as house prices continue to slide May 2, 2023 Britain’s better than expected economic performance since the turn of the year is poised to have lured consumers into splashing the cash on their credit cards, new numbers out this week are tipped to show. Families are tipped by markets to have borrowed £1.3bn in March, which would signal spending in the UK is holding [...]
Build, baby, build: Want to solve the housing crisis? Forget town planners at your peril June 29, 2024 There's no point building homes if they're not in places people want to live, but public sector planning is in dire straights, writes Victoria Hills
House sales fall by 16 per cent amid increase in mortgage rates – as industry looks at shoots of recovery September 29, 2023 The number of house sales fell by 16 per cent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, according to provisional HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures. An estimated 87,010 home sales took place across the UK last month, which was 16 per cent lower than in August 2022 but 1% higher than [...]
Mortgage commitments plummet to pandemic levels as rate hike jitters spook housing market June 13, 2023 The number of new mortgage commitments has fallen to the lowest levels since the Covid pandemic as speculation the Bank of England’s will keep on hiking interest rates rattles the market. As the central bank raised interest rates for the 12th consecutive time during the quarter, in a bid to cool inflation, the number of [...]
Focus On Harrow: Why this west London suburb is popular with families and first time buyers September 28, 2018 With inner city London gradually dividing itself into a series of ‘villages’, mimicking the community, farmers markets and independent high streets of semi-rural life, what’s the point of suburbs anymore? Places like Harrow have traditionally been quite pedestrian places, attracting families to its healthy stock of semi-detached houses and good quality schools. The ultimate – [...]
FTSE 100 today: London set to open soft amid US political uncertainty July 15, 2024 Asian markets were mixed. The US dollar rose on bets of a Trump victory. China's growth slows. Focus on Netflix and major banks' earnings.
Mortgage approvals snap back following mini budget chaos, but net lending at lowest since 2016 March 29, 2023 Mortgage approvals have improved for the first time since August, as the market begins to shake off the stress of the mini-budget, however experts have warned that the housing market will “remain price sensitive”. According to the Bank of England’s Money and Credit report for February, net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased to 43,500 [...]
Made scraps hunt for a buyer as sofa seller nears collapse October 27, 2022 Ailing Made.com has said it has cut short its hunt for a buyer, as the homeware firm teeters on the brink of collapse. In an update to the London Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, the furniture retailer said there was “no reasonable prospect” of an offer. Shoppers have been pulling back from spending on big [...]
A short history of leasehold, and why it’s taken so long to end the ‘feudal’ system July 20, 2024 In the King’s Speech, the Government finally outlined plans to phase the “feudal” system out of England and Wales. Here's why it took so long
Currys shrugs off lack of takeover offer by raising profit forecast for the year March 18, 2024 Tech retailer Currys has officially ended its period for considering takeover bids without securing any offers.