Britain is Europe’s booming housing market April 10, 2014 That London’s house prices are booming is hardly a secret – prices shot up by 12 per cent in 2013, according to official figures. But what isn’t as well known is that the boom in London is in fact taking place even within a booming UK. The British market overall might not seem so buoyant. [...]
What you need to know before the open April 2, 2014 European markets are set to open up this morning after positive data from the US. Corporate data House prices in March grew by 0.4 per cent, slower rate then previous months, according to the Nationwide building society. House prices are now 9.5 per cent higher than they were at the same point last year. Fashion [...]
UK to goldplate new forex rules June 2, 2014 CURRENCY traders in the City face extra strong rules governing how they behave, as part of a British crackdown that is expected to go above and beyond international efforts. George Osborne is thought to want to be particularly tough on foreign exchange traders in the wake of manipulation investigations into forex and Libor benchmarks. Global [...]
Big banks beware: It’s tougher than ever to stay ahead of the curve May 27, 2014 WE’VE seen a steady stream of good news and positive figures about the UK economy recently. Unemployment is down, consumer confidence up, and the IMF suggests that our economy will be the fastest growing in the G7 in 2014. This is not limited to London, either. While some economists and politicians have expressed recent concerns [...]
House prices see third drop in 15 months April 4, 2014 House prices fell 1.1 per cent in March, according to the Halifax House Price Index. The fall marks only the third monthly drop in 15 months. Halifax pointed out that the monthly movements can be volatile and cited the three month-on-three month measure as a more reliable guide for underlying trends. House prices in the [...]
What you need to know before the open May 1, 2014 A flat open is expected this morning after a further taper from the Fed yesterday. Investors didn’t seem to focus too much on the weather-induced shock drop in first quarter growth in the US – to just 0.1 per cent, looking instead at the more confident Fed statement, strong ADP employment report and Chicago manufacturing [...]
House of Fraser sales hit record for new owners April 15, 2014 BOOMING online sales helped House of Fraser deliver record gross profits last year, the department group said yesterday in the wake of its acquisition by Chinese conglomerate Sanpower. House of Fraser’s adjusted earnings rose 8.3 per cent to £60.2m in the year to 25 January while gross profits hit £430.6m – its highest ever level, [...]
Owner of Miller Homes ponders possible initial public offering September 24, 2013 Miller Group, owner of Miller Homes, is contemplating a possible initial public offering (IPO), says The Financial Times’ property correspondent Ed Hammond. Miller Group is the UK’s largest privately owned property development and construction company, and the entertaining of such an idea highlights the sentiment that the UK housing market is looking ever-more positive. City [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 28 April 2014 April 28, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Pfizer renews interest in AstraZeneca Pfizer, the US pharmaceuticals group, has renewed its interest in a takeover of UK rival AstraZeneca, in what would be one of the global drugs industry’s largest ever deals. The US group approached AstraZeneca, which has a market value of £51.5bn, within the last week and could make [...]
London Report: FTSE in slight slip but Asos crashes on Aim June 5, 2014 THE FTSE 100 yesterday ended lower, as the country’s equities were hit by a stronger pound in the wake of a round of aggressive stimulus measures from the European Central Bank. As the ECB cut its main lending rate to 0.15 per cent from 0.25 per cent – and the interest rate on its deposit [...]