Why are car-makers getting the cold shoulder from investors? Well, why not? May 3, 2016 What is the most unloved sector in the global equity market? First off, you might think of oil, which is beset by huge oversupply imbalances despite the recent bounce inspired in great part by bullish financial speculators. Possibly you might plump for banks, which are seeing their net interest margins scythed by increasingly desperate central bankers [...]
UK house prices: Bank of mum and dad ranks among UK’s top mortgage lenders as parents spend £5bn helping children onto property ladder May 3, 2016 Parents will lend over £5bn this year helping their children get a leg up onto the UK's slippery housing ladder, placing the "bank of mum and dad" firmly in the ranks of the top 10 mortgage lenders in the country, a new report today reveals. The study – by FTSE 100 insurer Legal & General and Cebr, [...]
UK thinks it is “in the throes of a housing crisis”, according to new poll May 1, 2016 By now most are all too aware of the soaring cost of housing, leading to "generation rent" and pushing people outside city centres. But a new poll has revealed the extent to which people are concerned about the housing crisis. According to a poll for the Observer on attitudes to housing, 69 per cent of [...]
Bank of England: Yes, there was a mortgage stampede in March April 29, 2016 The final – and perhaps most definitive – proof that mortgage lending surged in March has been published by the Bank of England this morning, showing just how much tax changes distorted the property market. After a string of industry reports said that investors and landlords rushed to snap up houses before the three per cent [...]
Now generation rent faces financial “time bomb” after managing to jump on the property ladder April 29, 2016 Generation rent hasn't totally given up hope of ever owning their own home – yet, anyway. But as well as the average age of the first time buyer rising to 30.4 years old, there's a new burden for them to shoulder, as worry is shifting to how and when they will pay for it all as they get older. One in [...]
Savings ratio set to hit 50 year low as baby-boomers top savings chart April 29, 2016 The household saving ratio, the percentage of personal savings to disposable income, is forecast to fall to its lowest level in 50 years in 2016, according to a new report. The amount that people are putting aside is set to drop to 3.8 per cent, though this remains higher among older generations. Current savings levels [...]
First-time home buyers come roaring back despite investor surge in March April 29, 2016 The number of first-time buyers soared to its highest level in nearly two years last month, according to Your Move, in a new study which counters claims that a surge in buy to let investors has squeezed out homeowners. Homes bought by newbies rose by 48 per cent between February and March to a total [...]
Housebuilding in London has plummeted in the run-up to the mayoral election: Here’s which boroughs are approving the fewest new homes April 28, 2016 It seems the capital's local authorities have got a case of the heebie-jeebies in the run-up to the mayoral election – after a new report showed approvals for new homes have plummeted. The report, by estate agent Stirling Ackroyd, found London boroughs gave the thumbs-up to a mere 4,320 homes in the first quarter of the [...]
Apple has fallen: Share price drops on slowdown wiping $46bn from market cap as Goldman Sachs removes from “conviction” list April 27, 2016 Shares in Apple fell more than eight per cent as markets opened in New York after the company reporting a fall in both revenue and iPhone sales. Around $46bn (£31.6bn) was wiped from its value as a result of worse than expected results. The fall in revenue to $50bn – around $2bn short of estimates – for the second quarter [...]
Foxtons reaps the rewards as house buyers scramble to complete ahead of stamp duty deadline – but how long will the party last? April 27, 2016 Foxton's has posted impressive-looking results for the quarter to the end of March. But shares slid as investors showed their nerves over new buy to let rules. The figures Total group revenues rose to £38.4m during the period, up 16.2 per cent from the same quarter last year. That was pushed up by a 28.5 per cent increase in property [...]