UK house prices: Persimmon share price dips despite fecund first half August 18, 2015 Another day, another housebuilder boasting impressive growth, after Persimmon said profits rose 31 per cent to £2.72.8m in the six months to the end of June. The figures You read that right: profits before tax rose 31 per cent to £272.8m, up from £208.9m last year. Meanwhile revenues rose 11 per cent to £1.3bn, while underlying earnings per share [...]
UK house price growth slowest since 2013 January 29, 2015 House prices in the UK have risen at the slowest pace in more than a year, according to the latest figures from building society Nationwide, a further sign that the UK housing market is cooling. Annual house price growth slowed for the fifth month straight to 6.8 per cent this month, down from 7.2 per [...]
London house prices: First-time home buyers face nightmare market as deposits soar and supply lags July 31, 2015 We all know how tough the housing market is for first-time buyers, and one of the main reasons is lack of supply. Much has been said about how the government is looking to tackle this problem by encouraging housebuilders to ramp up construction of new builds. But figures out this morning show that far from [...]
S&P: Interest rate rise by the Bank of England won’t send property prices plummeting July 30, 2015 Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) said today that an interest rate rise this year could slow house price growth, however a number of structural factors will support demand and prevent an outright decline. "The issue is whether the rise in interest rates that we expect to start in late 2015 could eventually bring [...]
UK dividends reached record heights in the third quarter – Capita Asset Services October 19, 2015 UK dividends reached record heights in the third quarter, hitting £27.2bn, but this is unlikely to prevent an annual slump in payouts. Figures from Capita Asset Services' dividend monitor forecasts that payments for 2015 will come in at £87.2bn, down 10.5 per cent from £97.4bn in last year. A series of special dividends form the [...]
Alan Johnson talks Labour’s relationship with business, its prospects in 2020 and the EU referendum January 25, 2016 Labour is a party in disarray. Under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, it is struggling to connect with the public and earn back the confidence of business. Some polls have Labour commanding just 25 per cent of the national vote. And it does not help that the party’s MPs seem constantly embroiled in public rows [...]
Gold-plated Armani loos, a golden staircase and 16th century timber flooring: Here’s London’s most expensive office October 19, 2015 After all the hysteria over London's super-prime housing market, this was always bound to happen: a developer has unveiled London's swankiest offices. If you're running a business on any kind of budget, look away now… The office building, at 54 Brooks Mews, is in the middle of Mayfair (natch), and has been developed by Enstar [...]
Professional and partisan: Should firms do politics? Be wary of taking a line on social issues outside your sector October 9, 2015 Businesses have always needed politicians to understand their concerns. But excessive interference by companies in politics may threaten their neutrality, long considered key to appealing to the broadest customer base possible. But in today’s fight for market share, businesses have more than just the dividend to think about. Indeed, the pressure on firms to [...]
City Moves for 07 October 2015 | Who’s switching jobs October 6, 2015 EY The professional services firm has announced the appointment of Nick Parkhouse to lead its new financial services debt advisory team. He joins as an executive director from RBS, where he was a senior director and led a structured finance team focused on specialty finance markets in the UK. Parkhouse has also previously held roles [...]
Alarm bells sound for global growth: What does it mean for investors? November 19, 2015 The state of the world economy is spooking analysts. In October, the IMF downgraded its global growth forecast for 2015 to 3.1 per cent, from the 3.3 per cent it predicted in July. Last week, the OECD added to the gloom, trimming its 2015 forecast for world output growth to 2.9 per cent on the [...]