Lending standards dip in the Eurozone as banks open up their coffers in response to the European Central Bank’s negative interest rates April 19, 2016 Businesses across the Eurozone are finding it easier to secure bank loans, according to the European Central Bank (ECB)’s quarterly lending survey, released this morning, which also shows that negative interest rates are encouraging banks to lend more. Banks across the single currency bloc said they were loosening their standards for businesses applying for loans [...]
BHS appoints Duff & Phelps administrators, putting 10,000 jobs at risk – but more than 30 bid enquiries have already been made April 25, 2016 More than 30 enquiries to buy BHS out of administration have been made since reports first surfaced that the business was teetering on the brink, City A.M. understands. Managing directors Philip Duffy and Benjamin Wiles were appointed joint administrators of BHS this morning, putting around 10,000 jobs at risk. In a statement Duff & Phelps [...]
July Budget 2015 summary: All the personal finance measures announced by George Osborne during his speech July 8, 2015 Today's Budget may not have included as many measures aimed at pensioners and first-time buyers as last time; today, George Osborne seemed more intent on telling firms that Britain was "open for business". Osborne's headline grabber this time around was inheritance tax and the creation of a family home allowance which will help people "pass on [...]
Housebuilder Crest Nicholson’s share price rises as it rides the house price wave May 16, 2016 Brexit threat? What Brexit threat? Crest Nicholson proved this morning that housebuilders continue to be on a high – despite market uncertainty. The figures In a trading update this morning, the housebuilder said it completed 1,206 homes in the six months to the end of April, up seven per cent from last year's 1,124 homes. Sales rate per outlet rose four per cent on [...]
The National Association of Estate Agents: Number of house hunters hits an 11-year high July 29, 2015 The number of people hunting for a new home in Britain hit an 11-year high last month amid a dwindling housing stock and sky-high prices. Figures released today by the The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) showed around 439 house hunters were registered to each estate agent branch in the UK last month. This [...]
Parliament’s BHS inquiries: Everything you need to know May 18, 2016 Two parliamentary committees will come together for a second time next week as part of an ongoing investigation into the collapse of BHS. The Work and Pensions select committee and the Business Innovation and Skills select committee held a joint hearing last week, grilling the chief executives of the Pension Protection Fund and The Pensions Regulator over the [...]
What Brexit means for UK M&A: Experts expect further drop in activity June 24, 2016 Deal activity in the UK is expected to fall further in the second half of 2016 following the Brexit vote. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity has already slowed this year following a record 2015. Data released yesterday from MergerMarket and Dealogic showed that UK-targeted activity slowed in the first half of the year, and more [...]
Verizon Communications lines up bid for Yahoo’s web business, with Google and others also considering moves April 7, 2016 Verizon Communications is said to be interested in bidding for Yahoo's web business. The share price of Yahoo initially shot up when news of the potential bid emerged, before closing down 1.3 per cent at $36.17. Verizon's shares closed down nearly 2.8 per cent at $51.99. Read more: Yahoo-h dear. Web portal expects 15 per cent revenue [...]
Sell in May and go away? Why some hedge funds are looking forward to this summer April 26, 2016 Some investors swear by the well-known adage “Sell in May and go away”, given that it’s a month that can bring low trading volumes, thin liquidity and, even worse, a stock market sell-off that permeates over the summer. Will this year be any different? Is it worth just going on holiday until St Leger Day, [...]
Rent or buy? First-time buyers in London save £1,000 a year compared to renting as mortgage rates remain low August 23, 2014 Londoners managing to jump on the property ladder are saving £984 a year by making mortgage repayments instead of paying rent as a result of low rates and rising rental prices. New home owners in the capital are pocketing more money than any other region along with first-time buyers in the West Midlands, saving £984 [...]