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 [...]
More money for proptech: HouseSimple raises £13m from Carphone Warehouse boss June 6, 2016 More money is flowing into up and coming property technology (proptech) companies, with the founder of Carphone Warehouse leading a new multimillion pound investment in online estate agent HouseSimple. Sir Charles Dunstone lead the £13m funding in the firm which ditches the high cost of traditional agency fees, along with his business partner Roger Taylor. An institutional investor [...]
London house prices: Mortgage lending rises 41 per cent in capital May 25, 2016 Slowdown? What slowdown? Mortgage borrowing to fund London house purchases rose a whopping 41 per cent in the first quarter of 2016 compared with last year, up to £7.1bn, figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders this morning revealed. The amount borrowed was also up quarter-on-quarter, rising six per cent on the last [...]
These are the top concerns for UK landlords (Brexit is pretty low down) June 13, 2016 As everyone else bites their nails over the EU referendum, the outcome of the big vote has only just made it into the list of the top concerns of UK landlords. Instead, their top worry is the exemption of residential property from the new capital gains tax cuts, according to a survey by Amicus Property Finance. Read more: Brits [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 dips as pre-BoE jitters seize European markets July 13, 2016 The FTSE 100 has dialled back its earlier gains to skid at the close this evening. The blue-chip index finished down just a touch at 6,670.40, off by 10 points – or 0.15 per cent. It's the second flat close on the bounce for the FTSE 100 after ending yesterday's session unchanged. It had earlier in today's session climbed to 6,717.17. The [...]
Financial services are more important than ever to the UK after Brexit – and we must fight to avoid permanent injury June 27, 2016 The British public has chosen to leave the EU. As a result, we are now more rather than less reliant on the major players in the UK economy, in particular financial services. The industry has been bracing itself for short-term economic and market volatility in reaction to this outcome. It’s going to be testing, but [...]
Deutsche Bank has a few ideas for Theresa May’s new industrial strategy August 25, 2016 One of the world's top investment banks has called on Theresa May to embrace a new industrial strategy and help revive British manufacturing to its former glory. Chief economists at Deutsche Bank have put together a dossier for the new Prime Minister on how she can make the most of the post-referendum opportunities, to pull [...]
Burberry share price jumps as firm reports like-for-like sales down three per cent with retail revenue unchanged at £242m July 13, 2016 Luxury retailer Burberry has reported unchanged revenue for the three months to 30 June, amid a "challenging" trading environment – and analysts say the British designer is still too reliant on the Chinese market. Shares in the company were up 4.8 per cent in early trading. [stockChart code="BRBY" date="2016-07-13 14:41"] The group posted a [...]
Have we seen the end of volatility in the currency markets? July 27, 2016 In the hours after the referendum, sterling suffered its largest ever decline in the era of free-floating currencies. The pound fell from $1.50 just after the polls slammed shut to $1.33 as the count showed the Brexit camp were out in front. Sharp spikes up and down in the value of sterling characterised the referendum campaign. By [...]
Four of the best: Investment opportunities from around the globe August 16, 2016 Markets have been turbulent this year and much talk has focused on potential risks. A smattering of uncertainties to consider include the ramifications of the Brexit vote and whether the UK will enter recession. Nor does anyone know how extraordinary monetary policy in Europe will pan out, or the ultimate impact there’ll be from the trillions [...]