BAA to sell Stansted Airport after dropping legal appeal August 20, 2012 Airport operator BAA today said it would proceed with the sale of London’s Stansted airport after deciding not to challenge a Competition Commission (CC) ruling forcing it to sell the airport. BAA’s challenge to the CC ruling was rejected by the Court of Appeal last month and it was expected to take the case to [...]
80,000 face tripled stamp duty January 28, 2013 A tenth of home buyers in England and Wales may be clobbered with a tripling in stamp duty this year, London Central Portfolio said yesterday. Houses bought for over £250,000 face stamp duty of three per cent – versus just one per cent for those under the boundary. But the UK’s average house price climbed [...]
London Report: Yellen’s dovish tone helps FTSE 100 to rebound November 14, 2013 TOP shares rebounded yesterday, led higher by energy stocks after the Federal Reserve’s Janet Yellen eased worries the US central bank may start scaling back its stimulus programme this year. Yellen, in remarks released ahead of the Senate hearing yesterday to confirm her as new Fed chair, said the central bank had “more work to [...]
London Report: FTSE hit by fears fall in euro will hurt UK exports November 7, 2013 THE benchmark equity index fell for the third straight session yesterday, which traders attributed to a rise in sterling against the euro that could hit UK exporters. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.7 per cent, or 44.47 points, to 6,697.22 points – underperforming other major European stock markets such as Germany’s DAX, [...]
Portillo to reveal shortlist for prize held by Bad Government September 24, 2012 LAST year’s winner was the imaginatively titled Bad Government by Henrietta Simpson. And tonight Michael Portillo will announce the shortlisted artworks for the 2012 annual Threadneedle Prize for Painting and Sculpture. The prize, sponsored by the London-based investment manager Threadneedle Investments, has been increased this year to £30,000, making the accolade the country’s most valuable [...]
Foreign buyers drive boom for London houses September 2, 2012 THE LONDON housing market is in a booming recovery, defying global downturn and an unconvincing overall climate for UK housing, according to a report released by Knight Frank today. Prime central London prices are 49 per cent up since March 2009, when the market bottomed out following the financial crisis, and already 14 per cent [...]
London Report: FTSE dives over rates rise fears November 13, 2013 BRITAIN’S benchmark equity index had its worst one-day fall since mid-August yesterday, weighed down by weaker financial stocks and the possibility the Bank of England may raise interest rates earlier than forecast. Nevertheless, several investors felt the stock market would recover from any pullback in November to end 2013 on a stronger note. The blue-chip [...]
London agents see a surge in security September 27, 2012 South End, Kensington Guide Price: £15.95m This Fort Knox house includes two panic rooms with four inch bulletproof doors, a steel gun-safe for 24 firearms, an eight-inch steel vault and two separate CCTV systems. I pity anyone unwelcome who tries to get into this house. Contact Knight Frank on knightfrank.co.uk or 020 7938 4311 Balfour [...]
UK office transaction volumes reach highest level since 2007 August 6, 2012 OVERSEAS investors have sent UK office transaction volumes soaring to their highest levels in five years, figures published yesterday show. The second quarter of 2012 saw the highest volume of office transactions since the third quarter of 2007 – led by a surge of foreign investors investing in London offices, Aberdeen Asset Management figures reveal. [...]
Brussels takes aim at fund pay February 11, 2013 EUROPEAN authorities have unveiled strict plans to curb the pay of London’s alternative fund managers, in a move which could see their compensation treated in the same way as that of bankers. The proposals, laid down by the European Securities and Markets Authority (Esma) yesterday, target the bonuses of senior executives at hedge funds and [...]