Post-Brexit: City investors look beyond Europe as bounce back optimism grows March 30, 2021 Investors searching for stronger returns post-Brexit are increasingly zooming in on the Far East, with Japan and China currently being the most attractive markets for UK investors. According to new data that City-based bank and brokerage firm Charles Schwab shared with City A.M. this morning, around 68 per cent of investors in a recent survey [...]
What 175 years of data tell us about house price affordability in the UK March 29, 2021 What we’ve learned from nearly 200 years of housing data – and is property really a better investment than a pension? We dug into the treasure trove that is the Bank of England’s Millennium of data resource to analyse the history of house prices. We found that the average house in the UK currently costs more than [...]
Stamp duty holiday extension boosts mortgage lending to five-year high but approvals slip March 29, 2021 The stamp duty holiday extension boosted net mortgage borrowing to its highest level since March 2016, according to new Bank of England data. Net mortgage lending hit £6.2bn in February, with mortgage approvals for house purchase reaching 87,700. Andrew Montlake, managing director at mortgage broker Coreco, said the stamp duty extension was pivotal in fuelling [...]
A home for £28m: What are the most expensive streets in London? March 29, 2021 Upper Phillimore Gardens in Kensington is London’s most expensive road to buy a house on, with the average sold price on the road in the last 12 months sitting at a cool £28m. Head down past Earl’s Court and you’ll come across the Boltons, London’s second most expensive street over the last 12 months, with an average sold price of £22.5m. [...]
Is a major dip on the cards for Bitcoin as a record $6bn of options expirations loom large today? March 26, 2021 Is a major dip on the cards for Bitcoin as a record $6bn of options expirations loom large today?
Teddington crowned best place to live in London March 26, 2021 Teddington has been crowned the best place to live in London, according to The Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide released this morning. Richmond followed Teddington as the regional winner, but Stroud in Gloucestershire topped the list of all 78 areas assessed for the best place to live in the UK. The guide assessed [...]
Criminal case against NatWest tip of £90bn iceberg in ‘money laundering capital of the world’ March 26, 2021 Yesterday it was reported that the recent money laundering charges against NatWest are linked to a separate case against 13 individuals based in cities around the UK. The latest revelations followed the shock announcement, last week, that the Financial Conduct Authority had lodged criminal proceedings against NatWest for money laundering offences. The watchdog – accusing NatWest of [...]
What’s causing the current global shortage of semiconductor chips? March 25, 2021 The modern world runs on semiconductors; everything from mobile phones to washing machines depends on these tiny microchips. But few industries are so totally dependent on these microprocessors as the automotive sector, as has been proved time and again over the last couple of months. Since the shortage was first flagged at the beginning of [...]
UK house price growth slowed in January as buyers paused due to new lockdown March 24, 2021 UK house price growth slowed in January compared to the previous month as buyers paused due to the introduction of new lockdown measures and uncertainty over the length of the stamp duty holiday, according to the latest official data. Average house prices increased by 7.5 per cent over the year to January, down from eight [...]
UK housebuilder Bellway ups selling price expectations and reinstates dividend March 24, 2021 Bellway this morning reinstated its dividend and upped its selling price expectations for this year as the UK housebuilder reported strong demand for new homes. The FTSE 250 developer said the full-year average selling price is now forecast to be more than £295,000, up from a previous estimate of £293,054. It announced it will reinstate [...]