UK Finance: Government must ‘unify’ market strategy March 31, 2025 The relationship British businesses have with public exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange and private markets has transformed and requires a new strategy, a fresh report from UK Finance has said. The financial services company, which serves as an industry body for banking, found a dwindling importance of public listings with firms staying private [...]
Buyer’s market keeps house prices in check in February March 26, 2025 House prices rose by less in March as the number of homes on sales rose faster than demand, according to fresh data. The average house price in the UK ticked up by 1.8 per cent in February versus 1.9 per cent in March, while the number of homes available rose 11 per cent year on [...]
Rightmove: 74,000 house buyers to narrowly miss stamp duty deadline March 17, 2025 Rightmove’s stamp duty report has identified an estimated 74,000 moves, which includes 25,000 first-time buyers, that will just miss the March 31 deadline and complete in April. They form the unlucky section of a “massive log-jam” of 575,000 movers hoping to complete ahead of the tax change, Rightmove said. Collectively, the buyers are set to [...]
Government urged to ditch ‘shares tax’ for retail investors March 12, 2025 The government must use its Spring Statement to cut the stamp duty on shares paid by retail investors to help foster a British investment culture and boost financial inclusion, Hargreaves Lansdown has said. In an impassioned plea, the investment platform argued cutting the tax, which is applied on the purchase of all UK shares, would [...]
UK equity markets could do with some shock therapy February 20, 2025 My favourite explanation as to why UK pension funds have shrunk their investments in UK equities from around 50 per cent in the 1990s to a paltry 3 per cent today was offered to me recently by one of the City’s veteran fund managers; “You can trace it all back to the day that crook [...]
The end of stamp duty relief isn’t the only cost going up for first-time buyers February 11, 2025 First-time buyers (FTBs) are facing higher costs across the board as they grapple with not only high stamp duty fees, but a low stock of affordable houses, more stringent lending requirements and higher upfront costs. First and foremost, stamp duty relief is set to end on March 31, which has driven a significant boost in [...]
House prices ‘gathering steam’ before stamp duty changes January 30, 2025 The UK’s housing market got off to its strongest start in three years in 2025 as both demand and supply increased, according to new data. Buyer demand was up 13 per cent and 10 per cent more homes were on sale, with rising sales supporting UK house price inflation of two per cent year on [...]
UK stock funds suffer worst year on record as investors pull nearly £10bn January 8, 2025 UK-focused stock funds suffered their worst year on record last year as investors yanked nearly £10bn from the market, new figures have shown. While equity vehicles globally raked in a record £27.2bn through 2024, UK funds haemorrhaged some £9.6bn in their most sluggish year ever relative to the performance of the wider market, according to [...]
Housing sales end year on a high but fears about mortgage rates linger December 23, 2024 The London housing market has ended 2024 on a high, although buyers remain price-sensitive and concerned about the cost of mortgages. Over 280,000 homes worth £104bn are in the sales pipeline for 2025 – the highest number in four years, according to Zoopla. In another good sign, house prices returned to growth – up 1.9 [...]
Lord Mayor criticises ‘misalignment’ of tax in call to unleash the City December 2, 2024 The Lord Mayor of London will rebuke the government for a “misalignment” in its fiscal policy tonight as he calls for ministers to “look again” at a tax on share trading and incentivise investors to back London Stock Exchange-listed companies. In his first major speech since becoming Lord Mayor in November, Alastair King will urge [...]