FTSE 100 Live: BP’s $5bn hit; Prudential taps ex-HSBC chair Markets Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Investors were taking a back seat to risk on Tuesday after President Donald Trump’s latest salvo on the Federal Reserve rocked global markets. The US Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation into the Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, as Trump escalated his crusade against the central bank’s [...]
Millennials and Gen Z cling to property dream as house prices soar Property Millennials and Gen Z are refusing to give up on their dream of owning a home despite the steep challenges of getting on the property ladder, fresh research has found. Over 35 per cent of Gen Z and 40 per cent of Millennials think that owning a property is the most effective way to grow [...]
There are no incentives to buy or move home, Rachel Reeves warned Property Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned there are no incentives for people to buy or move home and that the Labour government needs to take action to ‘tackle the malaise’ in the building materials industry. John Newcomb, CEO of national trade body BMF (Builders Merchants Federation), added that “immediate intervention is now needed to thwart [...]
Mortgage approvals rise for third month in a row September 1, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases edged up in July, the third month in a row that has seen a rise, official data has shown. Money and credit statistics published by the Bank of England showed the housing market remains intact despite fears it might slump ahead of the Autumn Budget. The rise in approvals came [...]
House prices recover after stamp duty hit August 20, 2025 House prices are rebounding from a post-April decline caused by Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ hike to stamp duty, official data has shown. The official house price index rose by 3.7 per cent in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which was higher than 2.7 per cent growth seen in May. [...]
House builder blames ‘broken planning system’ and interest rates for loss August 7, 2025 In independent house builder has blamed the “broken planning system” and high interest rates putting off first time buyers for it falling into the red. Cheshire-based Eccleston Homes has reported a pre-tax loss of £1.2m for the 12 months to 31 October, 2024, down from the £2m profit it achieved in the prior year. New [...]
Mortgage borrowing surges ahead of stamp duty changes May 1, 2025 Net borrowing or mortgages spiked by £9.7bn in March as house buyers looked to clinch deals before higher stamp duty taxes came into effect. Net borrowing levels exceeded £13bn, according to the Bank of England, as the rise compared to February beat market forecasts of £3.2bn. EY ITEM Club’s Matt Swannell said the surge in [...]
‘Prohibitive building costs’ stunting UK growth projects – Deloitte February 4, 2025 “Prohibitive costs” involved in construction projects in major UK cities led to a sharp decline in the number of new developments breaking ground in 2024, according to a new report from Deloitte. Deloitte’s latest Regional Crane Surveys, which covers the central areas of Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester, has revealed the number of new starts [...]
The UK’s housing crisis is creating a generation of broke retirees January 24, 2025 The affordability crisis in the UK housing market is creating a generation who will still face monthly mortgage or rent payments well into retirement, according to a new study. With deposits increasingly hard to save up for and mortgages increasingly burdensome, few people will be free of housing costs by 2050, unless something changes. A [...]
London house prices rise by just £600 as worst borough revealed January 14, 2025 The London borough where more houses fell in value than almost any other area in the UK in 2024 has been revealed. According to new data released by Zoopla, the value of 72 per cent of houses in Kensington and Chelsea fell by at least one per cent last year. A total of 73,200 homes [...]