New US house and jobs data points to recovery January 20, 2011 New US data has offered renewed hope for the economy’s two stubborn trouble spots – employment, and the housing market. US home resales jumped more than expected in December despite bad weather as sellers cut prices while jobless claims fell sharply last week, official figures showed. Existing home sales soared 12.3 per cent to an [...]
BUYING March 10, 2011 Managing partner at black brick Q. How do you think the rise in stamp duty, which will rise from 4 to 5 per cent for properties over £1m from 6 April, will affect house prices? A.The rise will definitely affect the market outside of London, which is already slow due to lack of mortgage supply. [...]
Property experts say stamp duty hike will not hinder sales January 20, 2011 HIGH-END property buyers will not be put off by the looming rise in stamp duty, according to research seen by City A.M. Though the OECD warned yesterday that the tax places unfair barriers on the housing market for some, 52 per cent of property professionals surveyed by Investec thought the 25 per cent duty hike [...]
Fears of fresh dip see a race for safe assets August 24, 2010 FEARS of a double-dip recession on both sides of the Atlantic intensified yesterday sending rattled investors rushing into the relative safety of the government debt market. In the UK, yields on 10-year government debt fell to 2.876 per cent – the lowest level on record and below the level of March 2009 when the Bank [...]
Halifax: Modest decline in house prices signals price stagnation for coming year January 10, 2011 HOUSE prices dropped slightly in the final three months of the year, according to a Halifax study released yesterday. “Prices were 0.9 per cent lower than in the previous quarter,” said Halifax economist Martin Ellis. “This rate of decline is significantly less than the quarterly falls of five to six per cent during the second [...]
Bovis warns over weak mortgage volumes January 14, 2011 Bovis Homes expects full-year profit to come ahead of estimates on higher selling prices and plans to restart dividends, but the housebuilder warned of a subdued year ahead. “Mortgage approval volumes remain weak, with mortgage providers requiring high levels of deposit, particularly from first time buyers,” the company said in a statement. British homebuilders are [...]
Bovis warns over weak mortgage volumes January 14, 2011 Bovis Homes expects full-year profit to come ahead of estimates on higher selling prices and plans to restart dividends, but the housebuilder warned of a subdued year ahead. “Mortgage approval volumes remain weak, with mortgage providers requiring high levels of deposit, particularly from first time buyers,” the company said in a statement. British homebuilders are [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD February 27, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● HSBC Holdings releases its annual results on Monday. It is expected that the results will show the bank to be back to pre-crash levels, with a dividend forecast of just over 3 per cent. ● Carrefour will report full-year results Thursday. The focus of the market is likely to be on management [...]
American home sales increase January 27, 2011 Pending home sales in the US increased by two per cent in December, as November’s increase was revised down to 3.1 per cent. The rise – reported by the National Association of Realtors – was double the rate forecast by economists. “It looks like an improving trend, but with the glut in existing homes, housing [...]
The housebuilder who is ready to take the long road back to recovery October 31, 2010 DESPITE the generally depressed state of the housebuilding and residential property market, Taylor Wimpey’s chief executive Peter Redfern says he is pretty pleased with business. But sitting in the boardroom of his London office, his mood appears more reflective than upbeat. “Prices are very stable at the moment,” says Redfern. “Stable is good for us. [...]