New flexible ISA rules will encourage savers – Yorkshire Building Society October 27, 2015 Almost one in five (19 per cent) people without an ISA intend to open one when the new ISA freedom rules come into effect, a Yorkshire Building Society survey has found. The new rules, which were announced in the March 2015 Budget and come into effect on 6 April 2016, will allow people to withdraw and [...]
UK house prices: This chart shows the hourly rate at which property values are rising October 26, 2015 Everyone knows house prices have been rocketing in London in recent years – and they were up by nearly 10 per cent this month compared to October 2014. Now research from NLP Insights reveals that homes in the capital have been increasing in value by a whopping £3.48 per hour in the last year. This [...]
International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol warns over under-investment in the oil industry October 26, 2015 The executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol has warned that a drop in investment across the oil industry could cause prices to tighten from mid-2016. Speaking at the Singapore International Energy Week, he said oil investment was likely to fall again in 2016, after sliding by more than a fifth this year. "If it comes [...]
London house prices: Dreaming of a pad on the river Thames? Here’s how much it will cost you October 26, 2015 A room with a view always comes at a price. But that premium can be as high as 70 per cent when buying a property in London with a view of the river Thames, according to research from Cluttons. The estate agency said homes for sale on the river or with views of the Thames can [...]
BP, Shell and BG Group earnings: Investec says oil companies’ profits set to halve amid rout October 26, 2015 Could oil majors' profits halve when they update the market on their third-quarter trading this week? Broker Investec has said it expects low oil prices to push the sector's earnings down 29 per cent quarter-on-quarter, and 57 per cent annually. Amid the gloom, traders will be looking for evidence oil companies' upstream operations – which relate to the extraction and [...]
London house prices: This is who the capital’s prime rental tenants are, what they do, where they live and how much they pay for the privilege October 26, 2015 Ever wondered who those people are that are paying upwards of £8,000 a week to live in one of the capital's swankiest pads? Well, fellow nosy neighbours, wonder no more. In prime central London, a number of tribes have been identified by lettings agent EJ Harris, showing an increase in international tenants across the board [...]
BBA: Mortgage approvals leap as buyers race interest rate hike October 26, 2015 The number of mortgage approvals leaped 24 per cent in the year to September, figures published this morning showed, suggesting buyers are racing to secure mortgages before interest rates are hiked. The figures, by the British Bankers' Association, showed gross mortgage borrowing in September rose to £12.1bn, 17 per cent higher than a year ago. [...]
Got a cold? Sick employees are costing UK businesses £4.2bn each year October 26, 2015 Sick employees who take more than six months off work cost the UK private sector £4.17bn each year, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) reveals today. The cost to businesses has risen by a third in two years, from £3.13bn in 2012. That's largely thanks to a rise in statutory sick pay (eight per cent) and rising employee numbers (six per cent), CEBR explained. But around a quarter [...]
What Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal? German business confidence stays strong in October October 26, 2015 Volkswagen bosses may be busily sackcloth-and-ashing, but here's evidence the rest of the business world remains fairly unconcerned about the company's emissions cheating scandal: figures published this morning suggested that while German business confidence has taken a dip in the past month, it's still pretty resilient. The Ifo Business Climate Index, which measures confidence among [...]
UK house prices at their most affordable in 13 years… but not for Londoners October 26, 2015 HOMES in England and Wales are at their most affordable in 13 years, new research from Hamptons International claims, as households benefit from rising incomes and lower cost of goods. The estate agent’s latest Ability to Buy index increased by two per cent year-on-year in the second quarter to bring it to its highest level [...]