UK property prices: Half of parents worried their children will never own a house without inheritance April 21, 2015 Even with house price growth more muted than it was, first-time buyers are still finding it hard to climb the first rung on the property ladder. Now research has shown that parents are so worried about their offspring's inability to buy a house that they think the only way they will be able to buy [...]
The cost of dying: Four charts showing why we’re facing a “funeral time-bomb” April 21, 2015 We're living through a remarkable time in which "noflation" is making it increasingly cheap to live in the UK – and yet the cost of dying is soaring. The cost of a simple funeral has risen by 80 per cent in the six years to 2014, from £1,920 to £3,590, according to a new report, echoing [...]
Greek debt deadline: Greece raids cash piles to stay afloat April 20, 2015 The Greek government is forcing public sector bodies to hand over their cash reserves, as it tries to avoid running out of money while talks with international lenders drag on. The struggling Mediterranean state faces payments totalling nearly €1bn (£720m) in the first two weeks of May, as well as €1.7bn of public sector wages [...]
Full-time job hires pick up in the City as skills shortage persists April 20, 2015 City firms are significantly more likely to hire full-time, permanent employees than they were a year ago, according to a new report out today. There were 32 per cent more permanent roles available in the Square Mile in the first quarter of this year than there were in the first quarter of 2014, according to [...]
UBS: Sterling to be hit by General Election chaos April 20, 2015 No party is set to win a majority at the General Election next month, and analysts at investment bank UBS predict a minority government is the most likely outcome. Such an administration is considered less stable than a majority or coalition government, and so the analysts expect sterling to take a hit after the vote. [...]
IMF says Greek talks gaining momentum as default looms April 20, 2015 An International Monetary Fund (IMF) official has said the Greek debt negotiations have stepped up a gear recently – and there's hope for a positive outcome as the prospect of a default draws closer. "There has been a little bit more impetus in the negotiations between the three institutions and the Greek government for several days," the [...]
Revealed: How the mansion tax could cost taxpayers £175m April 20, 2015 More than 120,000 households could face a bill of up to £4,800 each to have their property revalued thanks to Ed Miliband's mansion tax. The total cost to homeowners of revaluing their properties would come to around £110m, according to upmarket estate agent Savills. But it's not only owners of high-end property who are in [...]
European markets shrug off Greece fears April 20, 2015 European markets started the day stronger, shaking off worries over Greece's ability to negotiate with its lenders. The FTSE 100 rose one per cent in early trading, while Germany's Dax jumped 1.18 per cent and France's Cac rose 0.9 per cent. The gains followed an announcement overnight by China's central bank that it [...]
Eni chief exec Claudio Descalzi says Saudi Arabia has lost control of prices April 20, 2015 Eni's chief executive Claudio Descalzi has previously warned under-investment could lead oil prices to hit $200 per barrel – now he's back with another ominous forecast for the world's tumultuous oil market. Speaking to the Financial Times, Descalzi said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) was neither willing nor able to control oil prices. Since the 1980s Opec, [...]
Greek debt deadline: Mario Draghi urges Greece to hurry as default looms April 20, 2015 European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has said the Greek government needs to do more work and do it urgently to conclude a deal on extra bailout cash. “More work, much more work is needed now and it’s urgent,” he said at the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-World Bank spring meetings in Washington. “We all want [...]