UK mortgage approvals jump December 8, 2011 Loans for home purchases hit their highest since December 2009 in November, according to data out today from e.surv chartered surveyors, thanks largely to loose mortgage conditions. Purchase approvals rose from 52,743 in October to 54,658 in November on a seasonally adjusted basis – an increase of four per cent, and 15 per cent higher [...]
£29bn boost from overtime December 8, 2011 Unpaid overtime gives a £29bn boost to the UK economy each year, according to data released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Managers and senior officials contribute the most, the ONS found, estimating that the average full-time manager is paid for 38.5 hours per week but actually works for 46.2 hours – a [...]
SPITALFIELDS December 8, 2011 QUAKER STREET, E1 Price: £930,000 Moments from Brick Lane and Spitalfields, this two bedroomed penthouse flat sits within a secure, gated residential development with secure off-street parking. Furnishings are state-of-the-art and super sleek. www.foxtons.com WOODSEER STREET, E1 Price: £550,000 A one-bedroom ground floor flat with lovely original features including a mezzanine level and amazing original [...]
IMPROVE December 8, 2011 CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF APD INTERIORS WWW.APDINTERIORS.COM Q. Dear Andrew, we have just moved to a house where the living room is long and thin. How do I avoid it looking like a bowling alley? A. Everyone would love large square rooms in their home, but the reality is very different. However, even with a long [...]
PROPERTY NEWS December 8, 2011 CITY IS BOOMING, SAYS REPORT Knight Frank has added the City of London and the City Fringe to its Prime London index, which includes neighbourhoods such as Knightsbridge, Belgravia, Chelsea and Kensington, citing an uplift in the supply of new high end properties, improved amenities and transport. Prices in the square mile have risen by [...]
THE LONDON BAROMETER December 8, 2011 DIRECTOR OF DOUGLAS & GORDON Unlike Autumn 2010, this year has seen business stay lively, and it looks as if it’ll stay that way right through to Christmas. Just when we thought that stock levels were going to continue to decrease, we have seen a 45 per cent increase in new instructions compared with November [...]
US stocks fall on fears over Europe December 8, 2011 US stocks fell on yesterday after cautious remarks from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi about more bond purchases to ease the region’s debt crisis. The ECB said it would offer further liquidity measures to help ease the region’s debt crisis, but Draghi said: “the outlook remains subject to high uncertainty and substantial downside risks.” [...]
Jitters ahead of euro summit and downgrades sink FTSE December 8, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares sank to their lowest close in more than a week yesterday, having endured another choppy session, as investors jostle for position ahead of a crucial European Union summit outcome today. Sentiment was hurt when European Central Bank president Mario Draghi cooled market expectations about the prospect of an acceleration in ECB bond [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS December 8, 2011 Accor Jean-Jacques Dessors has been promoted to chief operating officer of the hotels group for the Middle East, Africa, Indian Ocean and Caribbean Islands, effective from January 2012. Dessors is currently COO for Accor UK and Ireland, responsible for the Sofitel, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, All Seasons and Etap hotels. He has expanded Accor’s UK [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS December 8, 2011 ANTOFAGASTA Nomura rates the miner a “buy” with a £16.50 target price as it sees the firm as a high-quality, long-life, low-cost copper pure-play. Its flagship operation, Los Pelambres, has relatively low costs and could double capacity by 2020, while its Esperanza copper-gold project could be expanded by 2016 to nearly triple production. Its Chile-focused [...]
