UK mortgage borrowing soared in April with £4.4bn in new lending June 14, 2018 Mortgage lending in the UK increased considerably in April, according to a report published this morning by trade association UK Finance. UK Finance’s mortgage trends report revealed that there were 26,700 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in the month, some 3.5 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier. The £4.4bn of [...]
Vue Entertainment to postpone IPO after major Canadian shareholder considers selling stake June 14, 2018 The UK's largest cinema chain, Vue Entertainment, may postpone its plans for a stock market float after news that one of its biggest shareholders is considering selling its stake in the company. According to Sky News, which first reported the reshuffle, Canadian company Alberta Investment Management Corporation (Aimco) is seeking a buyer for its ts [...]
Which countries are most at risk from a trade war? June 14, 2018 The US and China have been trading fierce rhetoric over the past two months, threatening to slap billions of dollars' worth of tariffs on each other's goods and services. If the skirmish turns into a full-blown trade war could it threaten the global economic recovery? While the current dispute between the two countries hasn’t officially [...]
We talk to Tradeweb about how investing has evolved over the last 20 years June 12, 2018 It's a busy time for Tradeweb, the provider of electronic trading for fixed-income, derivatives, and exchange-traded funds, following a recent announcement that it would be adding an equity trading facility to its list of products. The company, which launched in 1998 as a marketplace for investors to buy and sell US Treasury bonds, will later [...]
As UK house prices soar, first-time buyers struggle much more than mum and dad did June 12, 2018 A third of UK residents preparing to buy their first house are struggling to save enough money for a deposit – six times the proportion of people who bought their first house 20-30 years ago. That’s according to a 2,000-person survey carried out by self-storage company, Space Station, which asked 1,000 Brits who are currently [...]
Alton Towers owner and multi-millionaire Nick Leslau on the “constipated” property market and that rollercoaster tragedy June 12, 2018 Nick Leslau, one of Britain’s wealthiest property entrepreneurs, loves buildings other people would find ugly. “I have a thing for unfashionable buildings that people generally hate,” says the multi-millionaire who turned two sixties office blocks in London into the St Martins Lane and Sanderson hotels. “I like them because of the opportunity they represent and [...]
Ranked: London boroughs with the biggest increase in new property listings June 6, 2018 New property listings were up 7.4 per cent in May, with London seeing a 5.9 per cent increase in the number of new properties on the market. May therefore saw the the highest number of new sellers list their properties in any single month since before 2017, according to online estate agents HouseSimple. The figures [...]
The worst is over? Pent-up demand helps stabilise London’s super prime property market after double-digit declines May 29, 2018 Pent-up demand has helped stabilise London's super-prime property market – but that still hasn't stopped parts of the capital experiencing double-digit declines. Chelsea has endured the steepest drops in prices of £10m-plus homes according to Knight Frank, down 15.5 per cent between August 2015, when the market peaked, and March this year. But there are [...]
Is it cheaper to live in the Home Counties than London? May 25, 2018 Buyers are often surprised when they discover how much more affordable the council taxes in London are in comparison to what they are paying to live within commuting distance of the Capital. Last month saw these costs increase across the country. On top of this, rail fare rises continue to outstrip wage growth, so the [...]
Focus On Balham: What’s the property market like in SW12, the historically less cool neighbour to Battersea and Clapham? May 25, 2018 No one wants to be the runt of the litter, but that is exactly what Balham was historically, sandwiched as it is between the Chelsea-aspirant hordes of Battersea and Clapham. “In the past Balham could have been described as the ugly sister of Battersea and Clapham,” says Hamish Scott, branch manager of Hamptons International estate [...]