UK house prices: Supply of properties for sale crashes to 11-year low as National Association of Estate Agents warns “We’re reaching crisis point” September 25, 2015 The supply of houses for sale has slumped its lowest level for 11 years, exacerbating fears that housing affordability is set to continue declining. The number of properties available to buy per estate agent branch dropped to 38 in August, according to figures released today by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) – a [...]
Moody’s Analytics: Economists say Syrian migrants will boost the European economy September 25, 2015 Welcoming immigrants fleeing the turmoil in the Middle East is in Europe’s self interest, top economists at Moody's Analytics have said. Europe is suffering from dire demographic trends with fertility rates in most countries below self-replacement rates – implying populations are set to decline. It also means the share of elderly, which already exceeds the [...]
Volkswagen emissions scandal: VW to name Porsche’s Matthias Muller new chief executive after Martin Winterkorn’s exit – reports September 25, 2015 Volkswagen is to announce its new boss today, after former chief executive Martin Winterkorn stepped down on Wednesday amid the ongoing emissions scandal. The favourite to replace him is Porsche boss Mattias Muller, according to several reports. Reacting quickly to Winterkorn's departure on Wednesday, the car maker is expected to make an announcement about the [...]
Catalonian independence proxy vote weighs on Spanish bonds September 25, 2015 Regional elections, which have turned into a de-facto independence vote for the breakaway region of Catalonia, have hit Spanish bonds. The pro-independence coalition is on track to win in Catalonia, albeit perhaps without a majority, in the 27 September vote. Catalan president Artur Mas has vowed to kick off the secessionist measure if he holds [...]
UK house price gap hits a 20-year high September 25, 2015 The gap between house prices in London and other major regional UK cities has grown to its widest level in 20 years. Homebuyers can expect to save on average £300,000 if they ditch the capital and move to Manchester, according to data released this morning by Hometrack. The gap was greatest in Glasgow, [...]
SVG Capital’s Hugo Boss and New Look sell-off reaps rewards September 25, 2015 The sale of fashion brands Hugo Boss and New Look have helped boost SVG Capital’s returns, even as a background of currency volatility weighed on its investment portfolio. The listed private equity firm has, like its rivals, benefitted from a fertile market for asset sell-offs, and returned £101m of capital to investors in the last [...]
National Living Wage: Business groups raise red flag on future pay rises September 25, 2015 Leading business groups are cautioning against “artificially increasing pay” today, as the Low Pay Commission closes its public consultation on the minimum wage. The Low Pay Commission – an independent body set up to advise the government on the national minimum wage – opened the public consultation last month, as part of a larger [...]
Ryanair investors will reap €400m in spoils from sale of Aer Lingus September 25, 2015 Ryanair announced at its AGM yesterday it would be sharing the €398m (£293m) spoils from the sale of its Aer Lingus stake with shareholders. Ryanair agreed to sell its 29.8 per cent stake in the Irish airline to International Airlines Group, which owns British Airways and Iberia, this summer. The budget airliner also said it [...]
UK house prices: High first-time buyer confidence heats up the housing market in August September 25, 2015 The market for new buyers, who have been boosted by government schemes such as help-to-buy, has had a strong summer. First-time buyers sales climbed 11.9 per cent in August compared with the same month last year to match July’s eight-year high of 30,200, figures released today by estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains (YMRR) [...]
Glencore share price hit worst in fallout from China’s slowdown: The scale of impact on commodity stocks and financial services revealed September 25, 2015 Just one month after plummeting Chinese equity markets sent shockwaves across global stock exchanges, industries around the world are seeing the damaging effects that China’s slowdown is having on jobs, growth and investment. “The Chinese slowdown and the Chinese economic rebalancing are pretty remorseless,” Kit Juckes, macro strategist at Societe Generale, told City A.M. [...]