Maven Capital Partners closes management buyout fund at £100m March 25, 2019 Maven Capital Partners has closed its debut management buyout fund at £100m, the Glasgow-headquartered private equity management firm announced today. The fund, which was backed by Scotland’s national economic development agency Scottish Enterprise, targets management buyout opportunities in UK companies with an enterprise value of £10m to £40m, making investments of between £5m and £15m [...]
UK house prices: Housing market ‘on its knees’ amid Brexit uncertainty February 28, 2019 UK house price growth remained sluggish in February, as property experts warned the housing market is “on its knees”. Prices rose just 0.4 per cent year on year compared to January’s 0.1 per cent rate of growth, new data published today reveals. Read more: January transactions flat as uncertainty weighs on housing market But prices [...]
Nationwide profits fall as it warns IT investment will continue to weigh down earnings February 8, 2019 Profits fell in Nationwide’s third quarter as the building society was hit by a £167m write-off charge as well as an ongoing technology investment, it revealed today, warning profit pressure will remain in the fourth quarter. The figures Pre-tax profits dropped a staggering 20 per cent year on year to £703m for the last three [...]
A Marie Kondo divorce: Lessons from Netflix’s new TV star February 6, 2019 A new year means a new selection of TV series to help us through the deep dark winter months. This year is no exception, and Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo resonates with what are no doubt nationwide resolutions for self, home, and life improvement. It might be surprising to learn that many of the [...]
UK house price growth falls to six-year low in weak start to 2019 January 31, 2019 UK house prices almost stopped growing altogether in January as the annual growth rate fell to almost a six-year low, figures reveal today. The 0.1 per cent growth rate was just a fifth of December’s own sluggish 0.5 per cent rate of annual growth, Nationwide’s data showed, and its worst since flat growth in February [...]
More customers leave TSB than any other bank, data shows January 30, 2019 More customers abandoned TSB in the third quarter of last year than any other bank, according to the latest data, while Nationwide gained the most new accounts. TSB, which suffered two major IT outages in 2018, saw net losses of 16,142, followed by Natwest which lost 12,514 accounts overall. A total of 40, 656 customers moved their [...]
If Britain looks outward, it will find Nigeria open for business January 29, 2019 As the vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement looms, parliament is at an impasse. The likelihood of a no-deal Brexit is increasing – in Germany, it is now seen as the most probable outcome, while in France, a “hard Brexit” contingency plan has been triggered. Deal or no deal, however, Brexit gives the UK the [...]
Super-prime time: London surge in high end house sales January 24, 2019 Wealthy buyers have been on a spending spree for multi-million pound trophy houses during the last year, with demand for London’s ‘super prime’ residences bucking a wider slowdown in the capital’s property market. Despite political uncertainty ahead of Britain’s imminent departure from the EU and plans for a new stamp duty on international buyers, activity [...]
UK house prices get unexpected December boost but market remains subdued January 8, 2019 UK house prices rose 1.3 per cent in the three months to December compared to the same period last year, according to new figures from Halifax. The annual growth rate was up from the 0.3 per cent recorded in November, but house prices were 0.4 per cent lower than in the preceding three months. Read [...]
Taylor Wimpey results in the City spotlight as market jitters linger January 6, 2019 Housebuilding giant Taylor Wimpey is set to reveal its future outlook later this week against a backdrop of lower activity and growing uncertainty across many parts of the UK’s property market. Traders will be turning their attention towards the blue-chip constituent, which is releasing its full-year trading statement on Wednesday, as City caution looms large [...]