House prices: Buyers playing ‘wait and see’ on purchases rattles confidence July 10, 2023 Property portal On The Market has warned of a challenging outlook for the year ahead as aggressive rate rises have led buyers to “wait and see” on house purchases whilst the market remains unsettled. The estate agent, which operates similar to Rightmove and Zoopla, told investors this morning that stubborn inflation and the high cost [...]
Wine sector reeling as price of a bottle set to be taxed 20 per cent more July 5, 2023 Wine lovers will be taxed 20 per cent more on their favourite bottle of red or white in a month’s time, as the government steams ahead with its alcohol duty tax hikes, spelling further pain for customers and businesses. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the measures as part of the Spring Budget back in March, which [...]
Wine sector reeling as price of a bottle set to be taxed 20 per cent more come August July 4, 2023 Wine lovers will be taxed 20 per cent more on their favourite bottle of red or white in a month’s time, as the government steams ahead with its alcohol duty tax hikes, spelling further pain for customers and businesses. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the measures as part of the Spring Budget back in March, which [...]
London life back on top as country homes drop in price July 3, 2023 Soaring interest rates have softened the prices of luxury homes outside of London, according to new data, in a signal that the ‘move to the country’ trend fuelled by the pandemic is showing signs of slowing. The average value of luxury homes across UK markets outside of London – broadly the top five per cent [...]
House price growth faces ‘significant drag’ from rate rises but London remains ‘buoyant’ June 30, 2023 House price growth may face “significant drag” from high interest rates as fresh figures show they remained relatively stable in June despite yearly growth being negative. The latest Nationwide House Price Index show house prices remained broadly flat in June, but down 2.5 per cent compared to last year, owing in part to 13 successive [...]
Mortgages: Number of people securing a home shot up weeks before BoE hiked rates June 29, 2023 Mortgage approvals continued to show signs of improvement in May, rising to 55,500 for the month as a whole up across the UK – up from 49,000 for the month of April, new data shows. The data provided by the Bank of England (Boe) is a fresh kick in the teeth for prospective buyers, who [...]
Why Royal Ascot should never lose its dress code June 15, 2023 Royal Ascot is encouraging attendees to “look beyond the rules” for fashion inspiration this year – but Eliot Wilson thinks a dress code fuels creativity Royal Ascot is one of the greatest glories of the Season. It is the event which has it all: royalty, tradition, glamour, fashion, money (won and lost) and the centre [...]
UK economy swings back to growth but spectre of recession looms amid interest rate fears June 14, 2023 Britain’s economy swung back to growth in spring, but the recent turmoil in the mortgage market and the prospect of the Bank of England hiking interest rates aggressively has put the risk of a recession back on the table. Official figures out today from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed gross domestic product – [...]
‘Can’t come soon enough’: Will Sunak follow through on 2p tax cut reports? June 4, 2023 Rishi Sunak’s mooted plans to reduce the tax burden from a seven-decade high with a 2p cut in income tax ahead of the next election have been welcomed by Tory campaigners. Reports surfaced in the Sunday Telegraph that the PM – an ex-City banker – is keen to cut charges in order to incentivise work [...]
House sales drop by almost a third as market braces for slowdown in mortgage approvals May 31, 2023 The number of houses sold in the UK has fallen by almost a third as the market struggles to upkeep the momentum from a surge in sales at the start of spring. UK residential transactions fell 32 per cent in April with 67,220 homes sold, figures from HMRC show, 32 per cent lower than April [...]