Mortgage borrowing surges ahead of stamp duty changes May 1, 2025 Net borrowing or mortgages spiked by £9.7bn in March as house buyers looked to clinch deals before higher stamp duty taxes came into effect. Net borrowing levels exceeded £13bn, according to the Bank of England, as the rise compared to February beat market forecasts of £3.2bn. EY ITEM Club’s Matt Swannell said the surge in [...]
House prices drop an ‘eye-catcher’ due to stamp duty changes April 30, 2025 UK house prices fell in April at their fastest month-to-month rate in nearly two years, fresh data has suggested, as adjustments to stamp duty knocked demand. Prices declined by 0.6 per cent in April compared to the previous month, according to Nationwide. The drop was attributed to stamp duty changes, introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves [...]
Cheaper mortgages to support sales as house price growth slows April 29, 2025 Lower demand and higher supply caused house price growth to slow in March, but analysts expect an improvement in affordability to boost prices in the coming months. House price growth slowed to 1.6 per cent annually in March, down from 1.9 per cent at the end of 2024, according to Zoopla’s latest house price index. [...]
Foxtons: Sales revenue booms on stamp duty completion rush April 23, 2025 Revenue at London’s largest estate agent Foxtons has risen by a quarter, driven by the large number of completions brought forward to benefit from stamp duty relief. The company said that overall revenue rose by 24 per cent in the three months ended March 31, with a 73 per cent rise in sales revenue. Foxtons [...]
‘Code red’ for Tesla as Musk’s firm stalls ahead of key earnings April 22, 2025 Tesla shares sank nearly six per cent on Easter Monday, leaving investors braced for what analysts have called a “code red” moment for Elon Musk’s firm ahead of its first quarter earnings announcement. The electric vehicle (EV) giant is facing mounting concerns over failing sales, geopolitical headwinds and evolving criticism of Musk’s political involvement, which [...]
Mortgage completions surged 50 per cent in March amid race to swerve stamp duty April 21, 2025 Mortgage completions have risen to their highest level since September as buyers rushed to avoid higher property taxes. Completions in March jumped 70 per cent compared to February for first-time buyers, according to Barclays, ahead of a change to stamp duty rates in April. “We experienced a blockbuster month for completions in March, as buyers [...]
After British Steel, what else will the government nab for national security? April 21, 2025 The potential nationalisation of British Steel in the name of 'national security' must make us ask what the government will justify next, writes Eliot Wilson.
HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds: Lenders bank on interest rate cut as mortgage ‘price war’ heats up April 17, 2025 Top UK lenders are offering more mortgages to prospective house buyers, the Bank of England has revealed, as falling interest rates stir up a “price war” on the high street. The Bank’s credit conditions survey revealed that the burgeoning supply of mortgages would come against a levelling off in demand in the three months to [...]
House prices flat but ‘only a matter of time’ before market acceleration April 16, 2025 House prices were unchanged in February, but market experts have said prices will rise later in the year as mortgage rates fall. The average UK house price remained at £268,000 in February, flat month on month but up 5.4 per cent year on year, according to the ONS. Growth was driven by higher prices in [...]
Libby’s Naked Wine Diary: The perfect glass to enjoy with friends April 10, 2025 @doesmybumlook40 @knackeredmother and @libbybrodie walk into a bar… And this is the Naked Wine they drank together The last time the three of us were together was at Kylie Minogue’s birthday party. It was a surprisingly intimate affair at Mayfair club Annabel’s, where we sipped Kylie’s Prosecco (very good) and rose (excellent) as the pixie-sized Queen [...]