Mortgage lending grows in solid start to the year June 11, 2019 The UK mortgage market enjoyed a solid start to the year as residential lending and new mortgage commitments both rose. The outstanding value of all residential mortgage loans rose to £1.45bn in the first quarter, a 3.4 per cent rise on a year earlier. Read more: Mortgage approvals rebound after delay on Brexit deadline The [...]
UK construction industry sees biggest rise in orders since 2014 – PMI December 4, 2020 By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s construction industry grew faster than expected last month, boosted by the strongest orders since 2014 amid a boom in house prices, a survey showed on Friday. The IHS Markit/CIPS construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 54.7 in November from 53.1 in October, its strongest since July and [...]
UK PMIs: Construction activity contracts for the first time since May February 4, 2021 Construction output declined for the first time in eight months in January as lockdown measures and near-term economic concerns led to hesitancy among clients. The IHS Markit/Cips purchasing managers (PMI) index for construction scored 49.2 in January, with any score below the 50-mark indicating contraction. The reading was a sharp drop from December, when a score of [...]
Opinion: Uncertain times are leading to London property ‘microclimates’ October 25, 2019 The fluctuations and instability experienced by the capital’s housing market continue to be underpinned by, for want of a better phrase, ‘Brexit uncertainty’. A market once dictated by patterns and trends has been shaken by political turbulence, leaving buyers and sellers with little direction on how to navigate it, which is ultimately resulting in inconsistencies [...]
Renegade wine made in Bethnal Green – with YOUR face on it June 24, 2021 Warwick Smith is Bethnal Green’s first and so far only winemaker, and probably the only one that puts his customers’ faces on the bottle. “We ask people to put themselves forward every year and we pick a selection. The idea is that the wines stay with the people. If we make the same wine in [...]
It’s pensioners, not first-time buyers, who should get stamp duty relief January 18, 2018 Stamp duty is in the news again. Earlier this week, Labour’s shadow housing minister, John Healey, called on the government to extend the tax break introduced in the November Budget to first-time buyers who use the shared ownership scheme. Policies that are seen to help struggling first-time buyers always go down a treat from [...]
Labour floats radical housing policy as election looms September 2, 2019 Labour is mulling a radical new housing scheme in which first-time buyers could potentially purchase their property for less than the market price. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the plan, first floated by Jeremy Corbyn in 2015, would disrupt the rising buy-to-let market and stop landlords making “a fast buck” at the expense of their [...]
11 Resume tips: The perfect CV May 10, 2022 Does your curriculum vitae (CV) pass the six-second test? When they look at applicants’ resumes, recruiters and hiring managers will spend six seconds on average looking at each. If your CV doesn’t set you apart in that brief moment, you are likely out of luck. So how can you craft a resume that aces that [...]
Abama care: Tenerife getaway Abama is the complete wellness experience February 17, 2022 I am at a yoga camp lying on a beautifully manicured lawn in the Canary Islands, bathed in warm morning sunshine as incense and calming mood music relaxes my mind. My lycra-clad colleagues look like sculptures as their toned legs point skywards. I, on the other hand, keep losing my balance and toppling over. Trouble [...]
Edinburgh Festival to go ahead this year with outdoor venues April 13, 2021 The Edinburgh International Festival will go ahead this year as an in-person event, with performances moving outside to conform with coronavirus safety measures. Organisers have drawn up a plan for the iconic arts festival to run between 7 and 29 August in the Scottish capital. A number of covered stages will be set up across [...]