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 [...]
City recruiter Morgan McKinley records big jump in job openings April 19, 2015 The second quarter will see a robust jobs market in the City, according to a new report out today. The number of job openings in financial services in London increased by 19 per cent in the past month, according to recruiter Morgan McKinley’s latest London employment monitor. The jump in job openings coincided with virtually [...]
UK benefits from $429bn global boom in real estate investment April 19, 2015 Money is flooding into global real estate with new capital targeting the commercial sector reaching a record $429bn (£287bn) in 2015, according to a DTZ report. The Americas are fuelling the boom, with a 12 per cent increase in capital flowing into the western hemisphere totalling $166bn of which $145bn is earmarked for the US. [...]
London house prices: Capital homes increasingly unaffordable April 19, 2015 Homes in London have become drastically less affordable under the current government, according to a new report published today. A consumer’s capacity to buy a home in the capital is now 77 per cent worse than it was in 2010, according to the latest Ability to Buy index from the estate agent Hamptons International. London [...]
Asking prices reach record highs in London’s property market April 19, 2015 The price of homes coming to market in London has reached an all-time high, according to new figures released today. The average asking price in the capital is now £594,585, up nearly seven per cent from this time last year and almost 50 per cent over the last five years, according to the property website [...]
Money in your pocket? Here’s where the main parties stand on income tax April 19, 2015 The contents of voters’ pockets has always been a key motivating factor when it comes to deciding which party to place a cross next to. Few things encapsulate this kind of consumer politics more than the rate of income tax. The coalition has made great play of taking the lowest paid out of income tax [...]
ECB President Mario Draghi warns Greek bailout deal is “urgent” April 19, 2015 European Central Bank (ECB) president Mario Draghi has warned the negotiations around Greece's €240bn (£181bn) bailout program are "urgent" and a default by the cash-strapped country would push the region into "uncharted territory". "Much more work is needed now, and it's urgent," he said at the International Monetary Fund – World Bank spring meeting in Washington. [...]