Selling your home? Think twice before dismissing the first offer March 20, 2020 There are numerous examples that I can recall where we have received a good offer for a property very soon after bringing it to the market, sometimes in a matter of days – only to have the owner reject the offer on the basis that it has been ‘too quick’. More often than not, this [...]
London Metal Exchange plans to suspend ring trading amid coronavirus outbreak March 17, 2020 The London Metal Exchange (LME) is planning to suspend open outcry trading and shift its business entirely on to electronic systems for the first time in its 143-year history to limit the spread of coronavirus. The LME said today that it expects to temporarily shutter Europe’s largest open-outcry trading venue next Monday to protect traders [...]
Property focus on Tunbridge Wells: Find pretty period homes and a rejuvenated restaurant scene in Queen Victoria’s favourite town March 13, 2020 Only three towns in England can call themselves ‘Royal’ – and Royal Tunbridge Wells, a town of 56,000 people which lies 30 miles south-east of London in Kent, is one of them. King Edward VII bestowed the title on it in 1909, partly to commemorate the fact that his mother, Queen Victoria, loved the town [...]
London house prices: Rising demand pushes up property prices March 12, 2020 London house prices increased in February due to rising demand for homes in the capital, according to new research. In total 39 per cent of London contributors to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors reported a rise in house prices last month, the highest amount since May 2014. Additionally, 27 per cent [...]
Your road map to the Isa universe: Make the most of your tax-free allowance March 10, 2020 There are just 27 days to go before the tax year ends on 5 April. For savers and investors, that means there are only a few weeks left to make use of their Individual Savings Account (Isa) allowance. Introduced in 1999, Isas allow people to invest up to £20,000 into savings each tax year, and [...]
Lord Ashcroft’s Devonshire Club at risk of closure as coronavirus stalls takeover March 9, 2020 An exclusive private members’ club co-owned by Tory peer Lord Ashcroft is fighting for survival after a planned takeover deal collapsed due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Devonshire Club, close to Liverpool Street station in the City, had agreed terms with an unnamed buyer, with the deal set to complete this week. However, the firm [...]
UK house prices: Brexit clouds lift, but coronavirus threat looms March 6, 2020 UK house prices rose 2.8 per cent in February compared to the same month last year, Halifax data showed today. Homes’ values increased 0.3 per cent month on month and 2.9 per cent on a quarterly basis, Halifax’s House Price Index found. That left the average UK house price at £240,677 in February. But while [...]
Divestments fail to add value for six consecutive years March 3, 2020 The majority of companies that sold portions of their business last year lost shareholder value, meaning that divestments have failed to add value for six consecutive years. Six out of ten companies that divested part of their business continued to struggle to add value, according to Willis Towers Watsons Divestment Performance Monitor. Based on share [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest rate for 18 months in February February 28, 2020 UK house prices grew at their fastest rate since July 2018 in February, according to Nationwide figures released today. February’s annual rise of 2.3 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent in January, was UK house prices’ strongest rate of growth in 18 months. That left the average UK house price at £216,092, up from [...]
Focus on Isle of Dogs: Dog days are over for once-neglected peninsula as new development abounds February 28, 2020 There are two questions that residents of the Isle of Dogs are often asked. First, why is it called the Isle of Dogs? The boring explanation is that it’s a corruption of a more sensible water-related name like the Isle of Ducks. The grim one is that it was so called because of the sheer [...]