Can you compare tulips to Bitcoins? Central banks think so November 28, 2017 “Bitcoin is a sort of tulip”. So said European Central Bank (ECB) Vice President Vitor Constancio in September. For many that might sound like an odd statement to make, but those that know their history – and specifically the history of the stock market – will instantly know what Mr Constancio is talking about. For [...]
As the first residents move into Television Centre, a new era is beginning for the BBC’s former home in west London November 28, 2017 When BBC Television Centre in White City, west London, was opened by the Queen in 1961, it was described by then director general Gerald Butler as “the largest, best equipped and most carefully planned factory of its kind.” Rather than goods, this building would manufacture culture and, at the time, it was the most ambitious [...]
Let’s get serious about leading the fourth industrial revolution November 27, 2017 The abolition of stamp duty for most first-time buyers dominated the headlines after last week’s Budget. But an equally important national priority was delivered too: positioning Britain to lead the fourth industrial revolution. As the chancellor said, this wave of technological change is already transforming the way we live and work, raising living standards, delivering [...]
Holiday Homes: A historic, resort in Switzerland has got some of its mojo back after finding a Qatari buyer November 24, 2017 If anywhere epitomised the glamour of Hollywood in its halcyon days, it was Switzerland’s Bürgenstock Resort, nestling 500 metres above Lake Lucerne. Opening the first hotel in 1873, its reputation peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, when luminaries from across the globe were drawn to this secluded mountain retreat. Back then it wouldn’t elicit so [...]
Opinion: The stamp duty cut for first time buyers will make a difference to individuals, but not to the housing market at large November 24, 2017 The chancellor made a bold move to remove Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) for most first-time buyers in the Budget on Wednesday. Raising the threshold to £300,000, immediately and indefinitely, will lift 80 per cent of them out of the tax. To account for higher prices in some parts of the country, all first-time buyers [...]
Brexit lurks behind Britain’s cautious Budget November 24, 2017 British Chancellors are used to facing intense scrutiny on Budget Day. Yet Philip Hammond spent weeks in the spotlight in the run-up to his November Budget. Brexiteers within the ruling Conservative Party want Theresa May to sack him because of his apparent lack of commitment to the Brexit cause, and for not being upbeat enough [...]
Philip Hammond has failed to improve the Tory party’s chances of electoral survival November 24, 2017 This was an elastoplast Budget. Its purpose was to cover the deepening gash in the Conservative party, give Philip Hammond’s reputation time to heal, and keep out germs hurled by the opposition benches. In this regard, it mostly worked. Read more: The Budget was a valiant attempt at an impossible balancing act The £3bn worth [...]
New homes: What’s on sale this weekend, in Croydon, Highgate, Ealing and Uxbridge November 23, 2017 New developments on the market this week Westgate House, Ealing From £299,000 New homes are being added to this development in west London due to high demand. Developer Galliard Homes will apply next month to build two more floors on top of its building on Hangar Lane, a “growth zone” in Ealing. This would up [...]
Failure to act on green belt a “big disappointment”, say Tory think tank Bright Blue November 23, 2017 The “big disappointment” from yesterday’s Budget was a failure to shake up green belt restrictions, according to a former minister and a leading Conservative think tank. While backing Philip Hammond’s stamp duty proposal, Bright Blue senior research fellow Sam Hall said the team had hoped reforms had been blocked because “the Prime Minister and others” [...]
6 key Budget 2017 takeaways November 23, 2017 Work in progress and still some way to go – that was my immediate take on the Budget. The good news was that the Chancellor recognised the need to position the UK for the great opportunities and significant challenges ahead. Despite this, far more needs to be done. First, the Chancellor and The Treasury are [...]