Opinion: Things are looking up for London renters as price increases slow November 1, 2019 London’s property prices have long been regarded as endemically high, preventing many first-time buyers from purchasing their first home and boosting demand for privately rented properties. The result has been the emergence of Generation Rent: the demographic prepared to live like students in shared accommodation so that they can afford to be close to all [...]
New rules announced to help UK mortgage prisoners October 28, 2019 The City watchdog has removed barriers to help trapped mortgage customers switch to a better deal. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today confirmed the introduction of new rules to help so-called mortgage prisoners, which are consumers who would benefit from switching but are unable to change to a more affordable mortgage despite being up-to-date with [...]
The regulator’s intervention on car finance hides an underlying reality October 28, 2019 The UK’s car finance boom has been a cause for concern for some time now, and the regulator is finally cracking down on questionable practices. One common complaint of this sector has been the practice whereby a car dealer or broker will make commission on the interest rate of the loan. By setting a higher [...]
What are reservation agreements, and could they really stop gazumping? October 25, 2019 A sale falling out of bed at the eleventh hour is one of the biggest bugbears for those wanting to move home. But the government has now proposed a solution in the form of ‘reservation agreements’, which it now plans to trial early next year. Under this system, which is common in Europe, both buyers [...]
Opinion: Uncertain times are leading to London property ‘microclimates’ October 25, 2019 The fluctuations and instability experienced by the capital’s housing market continue to be underpinned by, for want of a better phrase, ‘Brexit uncertainty’. A market once dictated by patterns and trends has been shaken by political turbulence, leaving buyers and sellers with little direction on how to navigate it, which is ultimately resulting in inconsistencies [...]
Short sellers take a bite out of Beyond Meat as shares slump October 24, 2019 Short sellers have sunk their teeth into Beyond Meat as shares in the plant-based meat substitute company come off the gas following its hugely successful US listing earlier this year. Shares in Beyond Meat had surged past $200 in July, having debuted at $25 in May, but have gone steadily downhill since then. Now short [...]
Why caution on Hong Kong is paying dividends October 24, 2019 Prudent investors will have been cautious on Hong Kong for some time, says Henderson Far East Income Fund Manager Mike Kerley; with Asia’s income growth coming from elsewhere. For anyone with an interest in the Asian growth story, the scenes in Hong Kong are very worrying. While no one could have foreseen the scale and [...]
Sir Richard Branson set to launch Virgin Galactic float on Monday October 24, 2019 Sir Richard Branson has announced that he is planning to float his space venture Virgin Galactic on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. Branson said he hoped to be there to ring the bell himself as his space flight company becomes the first to go public next week. Read more: Boeing invests $20m in [...]
Back to the future: London unveils first fully electric taxi since… 1897 October 23, 2019 A completely electric taxi hit London’s roads today, although the first fully electric vehicle came to the capital more than 100 years ago. The zero emissions Dynamo Taxi, made from a converted Nissan e-NV200 Evalia MPV, was unveiled as a part of the International Clean Air Conference at City Hall. Read more: Electric taxi cab [...]
Let’s take a closer look at Neil Woodford’s dubious investment decisions October 23, 2019 The man with the Midas touch. That was how people saw Neil Woodford only a few short years ago. But things didn’t work out that well for King Midas in the end, and the same can be said for the former star manager, whose reputation is in tatters and whose investment empire now set to [...]