UK house prices to outstrip wages this year due to “chronic lack of properties being put up for sale” July 20, 2015 A shortage of homes is set to ensure house prices rise faster than incomes this year, a think tank has warned today. The Centre for Economics and Business Research has revised its estimate for price growth in 2015 more than three times to 4.7 per cent, up from its initial forecast of 1.5 per cent [...]
Bank of England governor Mark Carney’s interest rate rise comments prompted a flurry of house buying in July August 27, 2015 Bank of England governor Mark Carney's suggestion that the rate decision will "likely come into sharper relief around the turn of this year" has prompted a flurry of homebuying, new figures suggest. Demand for houses rose 4.1 per cent in the year to July, and 5.3 per cent in the last month alone, according to [...]
What economic crisis? UK consumer confidence jumps to 15-year high August 28, 2015 Consumer confidence has jumped back to a 15-year high in the UK, according to a widely-regarded survey published this morning. The positive numbers come on the back of upbeat data from the other side of the pond. American GDP grew at an annual pace of 3.7 per cent in the second quarter, official figures said [...]
Wasabi returns to a profit after adding heat to expansion plans August 16, 2015 TAKEAWAY sushi and bento chain Wasabi hailed a return to profit last year after expanding its presence in the UK and launching its first outlet in New York. Accounts filed at Companies House show Wasabi Sushi Bento made a pre-tax profit of £4.26m in the year to 27 December compared with a loss of £1.15m [...]
Three things you need to know before going freelance: Save enough money to live for two months and don’t burn bridges November 11, 2015 The idea of going freelance is exciting, daunting, empowering and also very popular. The ONS reports that the number of UK freelancers is at an all-time high, with 4.6m people working as freelancers in 2014, many of them professionals. Setting out on your own offers a real sense of freedom, and greater control over your [...]
Savills: London house prices for the Capital’s most expensive properties have been dented by new stamp duty rules September 30, 2015 London's most expensive properties have been dented by strict new stamp duty rules, new research from upmarket estate agent Savills has shown, with prices in central London falling 4.6 per cent in September, compared with the same month last year. The heart bleeds… The research suggested new rules introduced in last year's Autumn Statement, which [...]
Night Tube series: Top seven places to buy a house in London along the Jubilee Line September 4, 2015 With the Night Tube delayed for the time being, now is the best time to consider buying in an area that’s set to benefit from it. Research shows that when new transport links come in, house prices only rise once the trains start running so it’s worth taking a punt before the asking prices shoot [...]
UK house prices: Mortgage approvals rise to their highest in 14 months June 24, 2015 Mortgage approvals continued their inexorable rise last month, figures published this morning showed, suggesting growth in UK house prices is unlikely to abate anytime soon. The figures, from the British Bankers' Association, showed mortgage approvals for house purchases rose to 42,530 last month, up from 42,020 in April – and way up on a 20-month [...]
Is Theresa May’s claim that mass immigration has “close to zero” economic benefits a dangerous one? October 6, 2015 Philippe Legrain, senior visiting fellow at the LSE’s European Institute, author of “Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them” and founder of OPEN, an international think tank on openness issues, says Yes Theresa May is wrong. Foreign students subsidise Brits. Foreign doctors fill skills shortages. Young, hard-working immigrants do jobs that most Brits spurn, like care for [...]
2016 London mayoral election: Bypassing bureaucrats is the key to fixing London’s housing crisis September 2, 2015 How would you feel if a property developer wanted to knock down the 1960s council estate next door and replace it with a shiny, new and modern estate with more homes? On the one hand, you will eventually wake up each morning to a rather nicer view (although any chance of seeing the Shard [...]