Balfour Beatty ups profit forecasts as it defies construction gloom Transport & Infrastructure Balfour Beatty has boosted its earnings and cash flow targets, as the construction firm’s “real momentum” defies wider gloom facing the sector. The group, which works with the government on major infrastructure projects, has seen the value of its order book jump by 17 per cent to £22.9bn in the six months to June, as [...]
High interest rates and low confidence put construction firms under pressure, Lords warns Property Construction firms have been hit by a barrage of reduced market confidence, high interest rates and rising national insurance costs, builders’ merchant Lords has warned, after it suffered its biggest-ever single-day stock fall. The London-based firm released a challenging market update on Thursday, which saw its shares plunge 20.61 per cent to an all-time low [...]
Construction sector cuts jobs again as house building slumps Industrials The construction industry shed jobs for the 18th consecutive month in June following “sharp declines” in house building and a slowdown in new home sales. The latest S&P Global Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) for the construction sector showed more cutbacks to employment with another period of “sustained job shedding”. Subcontractors were also hit by the [...]
Real estate firms going bust at record rate as property market slumps June 10, 2026 Real estate companies are going bust at the fastest rate seen in a decade, City AM can reveal, in a further sign that the UK’s property market is taking a battering. As many as 762 real estate-related businesses have become insolvent in the UK since the start of the year, a City AM analysis of [...]
Balfour Beatty emerges from US oversight scheme after fraud against military June 8, 2026 There was a “landmark moment” for FTSE 250 firm Balfour Beatty on Monday, with the announcement that its US subsidiary emerged from special scrutiny from the Department of Justice (DoJ). The news came as both a reminder of the global reach of London’s major support services sector and the pitfalls it can face from complex, [...]
Vistry shares plummet as housebuilder pauses buyback and warns on inflation May 13, 2026 Shares in leading housebuilder Vistry have plummeted on Wednesday’s market open, after it warned of a “significant” profit hit and said the Iran war is spiking building costs. The housebuilding firm was the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 as its share price fell 11.5 per cent to 288p, leaving the stock down more than [...]
Construction output tumbles as builders hit by surging costs and red tape May 7, 2026 The UK’s construction sector suffered a sharp fall in activity last month, as the Iran war batters confidence and drives up prices. S&P Global’s monthly construction index for the UK dropped to 39.7 in April, down from 45.6 in March. Builders are beginning to suffer from rising material costs caused by the blockage to the [...]
Delay fuel duty hike or risk stalling major transport projects, Labour warned May 1, 2026 The government risks stalling key road and rail infrastructure projects unless it extends the freeze to fuel duty, a leading construction industry body has warned. The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA), which represents more than 2,000 firms providing construction machinery and expertise, told City AM “nothing will get built” if its members pull back from projects [...]
‘Entirely avoidable’: Build-to-rent housebuilding slows as London planning wait doubles April 15, 2026 The construction of build-to-rent homes in Britain is in danger of grinding to a halt as the planning wait for London homes has almost doubled in this decade. The number of build-to-rent homes under construction has fallen for the ninth consecutive quarter, according to data shared exclusively with City AM. The government has pledged to [...]
Labour must reform biodiversity laws to boost housebuilding, trade body says April 3, 2026 Housebuilders are calling on the government to reform its biodiversity quotas for developers to lessen the costs and delays they say it causes to businesses. The Home Builders Federation (HBF), which represents the housebuilding industry, welcomed recent changes to biodiversity laws but said they do not go far enough in lifting the burden on housebuilders. [...]