UK house prices: The government could tackle the country’s housing deficit – but it has a vested interest in choking supply April 19, 2016 We need more housing to be built in the UK. That’s a quite indisputable statement that everyone I speak to in the property industry, in the public sector, amongst charities and at the dinner table, agrees with. The population of Britain increases by around 500,000 people each year largely due to positive net immigration but because people are [...]
The Bank of England’s agents’ summary on Brexit, housing and the living wage May 18, 2016 The economic slowdown is set to continue right up until the EU referendum, the Bank of England's latest agents' summary has revealed. The Bank's sprawling network of so-called agents are Threadneedle's streets eyes and ears on the ground of the real economy. They monitor local conditions, talk to businesses, and assess the general state of the nation, [...]
The UK is about to become a world leader in artificial intelligence June 20, 2016 With the news that Magic Pony has been acquired by Twitter, we are witnessing a crucial turning point – five of the world’s biggest technology companies have now purchased UK-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) companies. See Magic Pony Technology and Twitter, SwiftKey and Microsoft, VocalIQ and Apple, DeepMind and Google, and Evi and Amazon. Over the coming days [...]
Canvas & Stone: We ask five entrepreneurs who inherited country estates how they managed to turn their crumbling piles into profitable businesses June 29, 2016 Inheriting a country estate sounds like one of the most ridiculous privileges that could be bestowed upon a 30-something in modern Britain. In reality, it’s a bit like being told to look after a dying relative in the middle of nowhere who keeps stealing from your wallet when you’re not looking. When five friends suddenly [...]
Foxtons reaps the rewards as house buyers scramble to complete ahead of stamp duty deadline – but how long will the party last? April 27, 2016 Foxton's has posted impressive-looking results for the quarter to the end of March. But shares slid as investors showed their nerves over new buy to let rules. The figures Total group revenues rose to £38.4m during the period, up 16.2 per cent from the same quarter last year. That was pushed up by a 28.5 per cent increase in property [...]
Financial sector faces toughest competition in nearly a decade June 16, 2016 Banks are facing their toughest squeeze on profitability in nearly two years as fierce competition in the financial services industry puts pressure on bottom lines. The latest quarterly survey of the sector from the CBI and PwC found that more firms are feeling pessimistic than optimistic about the outlook for the industry for the second quarter [...]
Regular home buyers feel the squeeze as investors and second home buyers storm London property market April 27, 2016 Fewer than half of all homes sold in central London over the last three months went to regular homeowners, a new report has shown, casting a light on the extent of the housing crisis in the capital. Buy to let landlords accounted for 36 per cent of property transactions during the first three months of [...]
Five things you should know about Brexit and your finances May 17, 2016 Six weeks to go before the Europe referendum on 23 June and both sides are campaigning hard. Boris Johnson says the only safe option is to leave, while Bank of England governor Mark Carney cautions that it’s a dangerous choice, as everything from employment to food prices will be affected. We take a look at the [...]
What to expect Mark Carney to be grilled about by the House of Lords today – from Brexit to current account, inflation and Panama Papers April 19, 2016 The most watched man in Threadneedle Street will trundle over to SW1 today to face his annual grilling from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. That’s right, the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, will be up against 13 of the Lords’ sharpest minds, all desperate to peer into the soul of [...]
Nationwide posts strong profit growth as mortgage lending reaches pre-recession levels May 24, 2016 Nationwide lent more money to house-buyers last year than it has done since the financial crash starting in 2007, helping the society to post strong profit growth. The figures Gross mortgage lending at the building society was up 20 per cent to £32.6bn, as the firm helped 57,200 first time buyers into a home of their own. [...]