Investor access to UK boosted by wealth visas January 26, 2014 THE NUMBER of UK visas issued for foreign investors swelled by a quarter in 2012-13, with high-net worth Chinese visitors making up the largest share of applications. International law firm Pinsent Masons reveals today that 530 investor visas were issued in 2012-13, up from 423 in 2011-12. The number of visas issues has nearly doubled [...]
Fall in homes for sale boosts prices further January 13, 2014 LONDON’S house prices jumped again in October, according to data out today from Hometrack, as supply of homes dropped but demand kept on rising. Nationally prices increased by 0.5 per cent in the month, with London leading the way at 0.8 per cent. That means that over the last 12 months London’s prices have risen [...]
Letters to the Editor – 18/02 – Scotland relations, Stamp duty, Best of Twitter February 17, 2014 Scotland relations [Osborne’s claims that Scotland couldn’t use the pound don’t stack up, Thursday] Ruling out a currency zone after Scottish independence carries risks for both sides. The rest of the UK will unilaterally erect customs posts and force people to change money when they cross the border. This would damage trade and the free movement [...]
How awful would the market for cars be if we treated them like houses? July 30, 2013 The market for housing in the UK is perverse. By comparing it with the market for cars, Duncan Stott, affordable housing campaigner for PricedOut, shows just how mad our system is: Imagine if every car that got made had to get planning permission to be manufactured, with the aim of protecting the environment and avoiding [...]
How regenerating failed high rises can gift London thousands of extra homes January 20, 2014 A QUIET announcement, with potentially significant implications for London’s housing crisis, lay hidden in the detail of last year’s Autumn Statement: the government will “explore options for kick-starting the regeneration of some of the worst housing estates through repayable loans.” Is this just another excuse to spend taxpayers’ money? I hope not. It could be [...]
UK mortgage approvals soar to highest level since 2007 March 3, 2014 The Bank of England (BoE) has released figures showing mortgage approvals for new house purchases climbed from 72,798 to 76,947 in January – their highest level since November 2007. However, mortgage approvals remained 25 per cent below their pre-crisis levels. UK economist for London-based consultancy Capital Economics Samuel Tombs, said: There is little reason to [...]
The collapse in homeownership is a disaster for social cohesion February 26, 2014 HOMEOWNERSHIP has just fallen to a 25-year low, which means that Britain’s once-vaunted ownership society is in deep trouble. This is very bad news indeed. It is vital, for the sake of social and economic cohesion, that as many people as possible are able to own property; the only form of capitalism that is politically [...]
Here’s why 2014 could still prove a great year for Bitcoin bugs April 25, 2014 The past few months have proved to be a tough time for cryptocurrency Bitcoin. The MtGox exchange suffered a dramatic fall from grace, while the price of the digital currency has fallen by 37 per cent the year to date. However, things may be looking up for Bitcoin as venture capital money continues pour in [...]
Here’s why 2014 could still prove a great year for Bitcoin bugs April 25, 2014 The past few months have proved to be a tough time for cryptocurrency Bitcoin. The MtGox exchange suffered a dramatic fall from grace, while the price of the digital currency has fallen by 37 per cent the year to date. However, things may be looking up for Bitcoin as venture capital money continues pour in [...]
Why Merkel’s EU reform shopping list isn’t enough February 26, 2014 GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives in London today on an official visit that many are heralding as the start of David Cameron’s pitch to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU. Unlike Francois Hollande’s trip to an Oxfordshire pub last month, when the French President said he wouldn’t support treaty change, initial reports suggest Merkel is [...]