UK house price growth at its highest since March – as average house price edges towards £290,000 November 17, 2015 The average UK house price hit £286,000 in September this year, setting yet another record, after August's average of £285,000. Prices rose 6.1 per cent in the year to September, up from 5.5 per cent in the year to August. Between August and September, prices rose 0.8 per cent on a seasonally-adjusted basis, with first-time buyers found [...]
UK inflation stays at -0.1 per cent in October as food and booze prices fall November 17, 2015 Just in time for Christmas. Prices in the UK fell for the second consecutive month in October, figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed this morning. The annual inflation rate was -0.1 per cent, led by sharper falls in the prices of food and booze and a slower rise in tobacco prices. Food prices were down three [...]
UK house prices: Generation rent to fall further from the property ladder as only one in four will own a home by 2025 November 17, 2015 In ten years time only 26 per cent of so-called “generation rent”, those aged between 20 and 39, will own their own homes according to a study by accountants PwC. In 2013, 38 per cent of those in that age group had bought a house. The amount of 20-39 year olds renting privately by 2025 [...]
Reduced buy-to-let tax relief causing concern for UK landlords November 17, 2015 The fall in landlord buy-to-let tax relief is a major factor for 50 per cent of all landlords currently looking to sell, according to a survey by estate agents Your Move and lettings agent network Reeds Rains. In the summer budget George Osborne cut buy-to-let tax relief to the 20% basic rate. Despite most of [...]
London rent price rise 2015 defies traditional Autumn slow down November 17, 2015 London rents continued to climb in October, up 0.8 per cent, hitting an average of £2,063 despite the seasonal slowdown usually associated with Autumn months. The data suggests that London’s housing shortage, falling unemployment rate, and growing pay is the cause, according to the analytics company MIAC in its monthly Landbay Rental Index. So far [...]
The US economy is losing momentum, according to new business surveys November 16, 2015 The US economy is set for an end-of-year slowdown, according to new survey data published today, with business confidence falling to its lowest level for two years. World Economics’ sales managers' index (SMI) dropped to a score of 54.3 in November – its fourth consecutive monthly fall. Any score above 50 signifies growth, with higher scores [...]
Bitcoin price: More people are now searching for bitcoin than Chinese yuan or Japanese yen – but it can’t match the pound or the dollar November 16, 2015 Bitcoin’s wild surge and fall has had people flocking around the cryptocurrency. Now fresh data reveals that more people are interested in finding out how bitcoin is doing than the Chinese yuan, or renminbi. Google search data shows that more people have been searching for the digital currency than the renminbi over the past month, [...]
Insurance Fraud Bureau: Crash for cash style fraud drops almost £60m in three years as criminals move onto new claims November 16, 2015 Crash for cash style fraud – where people stage motor accidents to claim fraudulently on insurance – has dropped by nearly £60m in the last three years, according to a report by the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) released today. Figures from the fraud-fighting not-for-profit found that the total value of such scams is now worth [...]
Standard & Poor’s: Abrupt climate change could challenge insurance industry November 16, 2015 Insurers could be underestimating how climate change will affect their business, according to a study released today by ratings agency Standard & Poor’s. Miroslav Petkov, director, insurance ratings at Standard & Poor’s, said: “Our analysis indicates that insurers' capital management will be sufficient to manage the additional strain of a reduction of about 0.5 per [...]
Retiring baby boomers creating skills gap headache for more than three-quarters of employers November 16, 2015 More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of finance directors are worried that their business will struggle with skills gaps over the next five years as the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age. Research released today by recruitment consultancy Robert Half found that, of the more than 200 senior finance executives surveyed, 88 per cent were [...]