THE TIPSTER November 24, 2009 THE dollar has been falling across the board, but against the Swiss franc it is now flirting with parity. The pair was seen at these levels in the first quarter of 2008, but the currency never managed to fall below SFr 0.9877, and a sustained break below parity would be moving towards uncharted territory. The [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 29, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphRATE HIKE THREATENS EXISTENCE OF RURAL PETROL STATIONSHundreds of rural petrol stations face closure if an “outrageous” increase in business rates is pushed through next April, forecourt owners have warned. Owners of the UK’s 6,000 independent petrol stations will this week launch a major MP-backed campaign to urge a government body to [...]
Fulham’s back in the property game, so jump in quick November 5, 2009 LONDON’S Holy Grail of property, SW6, all but died after Lehman Brothers fell. “A year ago I was sitting at my desk wondering if I’d ever sell another house,” says Lindsay Cuthill, of Savills’ Fulham office. According to Savills’ research director Lucian Cook, prices in Fulham fell by 25 per cent after the crash, compared [...]
Find value and beauty in an Austrian chalet January 14, 2010 SKIING down tree-lined snowy vistas in winter; hiking through lush green mountains by crystal blue lakes in summer. This is what’s on offer in Austria’s traditional Alpine towns. “Austria’s valley towns are proper year-round places,” says Giles Gale of Savills’ Alpine Homes. “In the summer they are filled with people mountain biking and hill-walking. And [...]
ECONOMIST VIEWS: WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS FOR THE UK HOUSING MARKET ? June 21, 2009 NICK BATES MERRILL LYNCHIt has picked up over the past few months – you’ve seen realised mortgage approvals picking up a bit from their troughs and there seem to be improvements in credit supply conditions, but supply is still relatively tight. It’s a mixed housing market at the moment and overall, a lot of the [...]
Brits are hungry again for a place in the sun December 3, 2009 MEET an overseas property agent these days and they’ll be chirpy, well slept and optimistic about the future – the exact opposite of how they would have been at the beginning of the year. The reason? After 18 months of its having no appeal whatsoever, the British love affair with buying a place in the [...]
Housing will feel the loss of bankers October 18, 2009 A WINDFALL tax on banks and a clamp down on bonuses could den the recovery of the ravaged house property market, industry experts said yesterday. Knight Frank head of research Liam Bailey said: “In the recent past bonuses have had the impact of increasing demand for top London properties. A tax on bonuses will undoubtedly [...]
CITY VIEWS: DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FSA’S DIRE ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS? May 28, 2009 MO MAYET INGRAM MAYET“I think their predictions are very gloomy – and that scaremongering like that isn’t going to help matters. I think the economy will remain stable for the next 12 months or so and then recover steadily, but I’m shocked by the FSA’s predictions.” MICHAEL PERISSINOTTO MIZUHO“I think these figures sound a lot [...]
No festive joy for shaky Hammers against Blues December 17, 2009 WEST HAM vs CHELSEA SUNDAY, 4.00PM SKY SPORTS 1 THE Premier League has been something of a baptism of fire for Gianfranco Zola and he has certainly suffered more than his fair share of bad luck. Financial crises and key injuries have caused big problems for the Hammers and the way they capitulated at Bolton [...]
E-book readers, 3D TVs and tablet PCs compete to be top dog of 2010 January 10, 2010 HYPE and prototypes dominated the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week. From the Ford car that lets you send Twitter messages while driving, to the scuba diving mask that can shoot high definition video at depths of 130 feet, the vast majority of products on display will not hit the mainstream. The [...]