Foreign buyers prop up London property values November 1, 2010 FOREIGN buyers are helping push up house prices in the most affluent areas of central London, according to fresh research. While the value of prime homes in London has fallen one per cent since July, overseas buyers have buoyed prices in areas like Kensington and Chelsea, says agent Knight Frank. Foreign buyers made up 68 [...]
Home Retail hit as shoppers cut back October 20, 2010 Home Retail posted an expected 23 per cent fall in first-half profit as cash-strapped low-income shoppers trimmed their spending. The firm, which owns Argos and DIY business Homebase, said it made an underlying pre-tax profit of £95m in the six months to 28 August. That was in line with company guidance of a 20-25 per [...]
PM’S GAGS HAS HACKS ROLLING IN THE AISLES November 24, 2010 SEVERAL dozen political hacks were yesterday treated to an unusual dinner guest as David Cameron became the first serving Prime Minister to attend their regular parliamentary lunch club in 31 years. Asked about how he saw his role, he gave a concise summary of his prime ministerial style: “I see myself as more of a [...]
CITY PUBLIC AFFAIRS LANDSCAPE DUE FOR A SHAKE-UP AS TIM BURT LEAVES BRUNSWICK December 1, 2010 TIME for some fresh blood in City public affairs, it seems, with the founding of a brand new financial PR firm by Brunswick partner Tim Burt. Burt is set to launch Stockwell Group along with the former chief executive of Maitland Philip Gawith and Financial Dynamics co-founder Julian Hanson-Smith, both of whom will be on [...]
Mortgage approvals slump September 23, 2010 The number of loans approved for buying houses fell in August to its lowest since the housing market trough in 2009, industry data showed yesterday, suggesting housing market weakness is set to continue. Mortgage approvals are a good indicator of house price trends around six months down the line, and the figures chime with data [...]
FTSE 100 nudges higher on oil firms but miners miss out December 14, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index pushed higher yesterday, led by energy stocks with BP boosted by Royal Dutch Shell bid interest talk. The FTSE 100 index ended up 30.46 points, or 0.5 per cent at 5,891.21, a closing level not seen since June 2008. “Volumes remain thin, but the FTSE keeps going up, with oils adding [...]
FTSE 100 nudges higher on oil firms but miners miss out December 14, 2010 BRITAIN’S leading share index pushed higher yesterday, led by energy stocks with BP boosted by Royal Dutch Shell bid interest talk. The FTSE 100 index ended up 30.46 points, or 0.5 per cent at 5,891.21, a closing level not seen since June 2008. “Volumes remain thin, but the FTSE keeps going up, with oils adding [...]
3i debates offloading stake in Norman Foster’s indebted UK architecture firm October 17, 2010 PRIVATE equity provider 3i is understood to be considering selling its stake in architect Norman Foster’s design house Foster & Partners. 3i is believed to have contacted investment banks about a possible exit, as one of the options it looks into three years after buying the stake. It is yet to appoint an adviser and [...]
Grainger is upbeat on residential October 5, 2010 The largest quoted housing landlord, Grainger, said yesterday it expects the valuation of its cornerstone residential property portfolio to outperform the market when it issues its full-year results in late November. Chief executive Andrew Cunningham said the 13,000-property portfolio, about half of which is in London and the south east of England, would benefit from [...]
FTSE 100 surges on gains by commodities and financials December 2, 2010 BANKS and commodity stocks powered strong gains for Britain’s top share index by close yesterday, on increasing optimism about the global economy and investor confidence that the Eurozone debt crisis would be contained. The FTSE 100 index ended up 125.06 points, or 2.2 per cent, at 5,767.56, a second straight session of strong gains. It [...]