London Barometer December 20, 2012 DIRECTOR OF DOUGLAS & GORDON There are 30 per cent fewer highly saleable houses coming to the market in London compared to this time last year. This is a result of concerns over the economy and jobs, people having no other place to put their money and expectations of price increases in the £1-2m price [...]
The business built to help customers outsource their chores September 15, 2013 Annabel Palmer meets Raj Singh, co-founder of the online marketplace Sooqini, who shunned job security for a career as an entrepreneur ACCORDING to Raj Singh, founder of online marketplace Sooqini, we are now living in a “gig economy”. His theory, albeit paraphrased from Michael Lewis’s The New New Thing, goes that people no longer want [...]
Land Registry says house prices grew modestly over December January 29, 2013 HOUSE prices climbed upwards at a stately pace in December, consolidating modest yearly gains, according to data out yesterday. Housing was 0.8 per cent more expensive in the final month of 2012 than it was in November, the Land Registry said, capping off a yearly increase of 1.7 per cent. As it has throughout the [...]
Inside Track: London is ready and waiting for the Royal Mail flotation September 24, 2013 THE FORTHCOMING privatisation of Royal Mail is the biggest post-financial crisis test so far of the market for new issues in London, which was virtually closed for business just a couple of years ago. In the years following the financial crisis, London became a notoriously difficult place on which to list shares in a new [...]
Chinese property giant to make maiden investment in the City December 20, 2012 CHINA’S largest property developer by market value is set to make its first foray outside of the country after putting in an offer to buy One Finsbury Circus in the City for £152m. China Overseas Land & Investment is close to signing a deal to acquire the freehold of the Grade II listed block, designed [...]
Government backs 95% mortgages for first-time buyers March 12, 2012 The government has launched a new mortgage indemnity scheme that is designed to allow first-time buyers to step onto the property ladder and boost the construction industry. Under the NewBuy scheme major lenders including Barclays, Nationwide and Natwest will allow people to borrow up to 95 per cent of the value of a home, with [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 6, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]
It’s time we ended the pretence that planning rules come without a price September 2, 2013 MOST agree that the UK housing market has long been stuck in an affordability crisis. Despite a fall in prices since 2007, Nationwide recently calculated that the typical house now costs 5.1 times average earnings, up from 3.9 a quarter of a century ago. In London, the ratio has risen from 5.7 to 7.7. And [...]
Rio Tinto scraps aluminium sale as earnings fall August 8, 2013 RIO TINTO’S chief executive yesterday said that China’s economy is unlikely to recover significantly this year but he does not expect “a hard landing”, as falling commodity prices led to a 71 per cent drop in first-half net profits. “China is best described as ‘steady as it goes’,” chief executive Sam Walsh told City [...]
Northampton to go well again this year as London Double Header gets the season off to a flier September 5, 2013 AS THE summer draws to its conclusion, the start of the Aviva Premiership is almost upon us following on from an unforgettable British and Irish Lions Tour. Last term Leicester Tigers once again saved their best rugby until last to secure their first title in three years. Richard Cockerill’s side are 15/8 favourites to repeat [...]