Bank surcharge could increase tax take from lenders to “far more than double” Treasury’s forecast September 7, 2015 Accountancy giant EY added its voice to the chorus of those speaking out against the government's new bank surcharge, warning that under the new rules the tax take from the banking sector could be double what the Treasury has forecast – and retail banks could be the ones hit hardest. Under plans for the surcharge, [...]
Prime central London house price growth at its lowest in five years thanks to China and stamp duty September 7, 2015 Prices of homes in some of London's most exclusive areas grew at their lowest in more than five years in August, new figures have suggested. The Prime Central London Sales Index, by upmarket estate agent Knight Frank, has found annual house price growth dropped to 1.7 per cent in August, the lowest rate since November [...]
City A.M.’s 10th anniversary: From the FTSE 100 to the skyline, here’s how the City has changed in the past decade September 7, 2015
City A.M. sends founder over the edge (of the Lloyd’s Building – for charity) September 4, 2015 It's not often employees get to watch their boss plunge over the edge of a 300ft building – but today the staff of City A.M. wished founder and managing director Lawson Muncaster luck as he abseiled down the side of the Lloyd's Building today. Just don't look down… Muncaster joined Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow for [...]
Is this the best solution to Tube delays ever? These architects want to turn the Circle Line into a giant three-speed travelator September 4, 2015 Are Tube delays about become a thing of the past? A group of architects has suggested replacing the Circle Line with a giant, three-speed travelator. Why have trains when you can have moving walkways? NBBJ – the architecture practice which also thought up the shadowless skyscraper – reckons that by replacing the line's 17 miles [...]
Citizens Advice warns of ticking timebomb for one million interest-only mortgage customers September 4, 2015 One million interest-only mortgage customers are sitting on a ticking timebomb, with no idea how they'll pay off their mortgage once their term is up, a charity has warned. Citizens Advice said this morning that while 1.7m people with interest-only mortgage products have no linked repayment vehicle, such as an endowment or Isa, 934,000 of [...]
The fall of the metrosexual: Hairy hipsters drive down sales of male grooming products September 4, 2015 Forget preening metrosexual types like David Beckham – these days it's all about the lumbersexual, whose hirsute, rugged appearance has pushed sales of male grooming products down, according to new figures. Research by Kantar Worldpanel has suggested that although sales of male grooming products grew by five per cent in the summer of 2012, compared [...]
Record breaking 2014 for Dyson as Asian consumers go crazy for cordless September 4, 2015 They say nature abhors a vacuum – but consumers don't, it turns out, after Dyson unveiled a 13 per cent jump in profits. The figures Turover rose to £1.4bn in 2014, with profits rising 13 per cent – or 21 per cent if you strip out the effect of the strong pound. Investment in research and development rose 40 [...]
Think the UK’s experiencing a migrant crisis? It’s nothing compared with Denmark, Austria and Sweden September 3, 2015 The UK may be in the grip of a migrant crisis – but the number of people applying to come to the UK pales in comparison to many other European countries, it turns out. The number of people seeking asylum in Europe peaked at 70,720 in February, data from Eurostat shows. Of those, 2,255 applied [...]
UK house prices: Why buyer activity, proximity to Chrismas and the end of school holidays mean today’s the best day to sell your home September 3, 2015 If you're planning on putting your property on the market, get going – because research suggests today, aka 2 September, is the best day of the year to sell your home. According to online estate agent Emoov. now schools have gone back, prospective buyers' minds are turning to the great property search. The research found [...]