Betting on inflation: What we learned from our wager on the character of the UK recovery October 13, 2015 In March 2013, we made a bet via Twitter on what would happen to UK inflation as the economy started to recover. Andrew bet that, within 18 months of one-year GDP growth exceeding 2 per cent, inflation would reach 5 per cent or more. He thought that that would happen because economic recovery would [...]
UK housing: Remove the mavericks and stabilise the property market October 13, 2015 The wave of financial services regulations introduced over the last five years has caused deep changes in the way we invest in various asset classes, from equities and fixed interest securities to cash – yet the property market seems to have escaped the regulation firing line. According to the Investment Property Databank (IPD), residential property has been [...]
UK house prices: Buy-to-let lending drove the mortgage boom in August, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders October 13, 2015 Mortgage lending ticked up in August compared with the same month last year, with buy-to-let lending posting a rapid increase. There was a whopping 37.9 per cent jump in buy-to-let lending on the year, with 22,200 mortgages approved. The amount of money lent out was up 47.8 per cent to £2.3bn, according to the figures released this morning [...]
UK house prices: First-time buyer inflation is slowing, according to ONS house price index October 13, 2015 This could be the news first-time buyers have been waiting for. House prices for those getting a foot on the ladder increased by 3.8 per cent in the year to August, down from an increase of 4.4 per cent in the year to July, ONS figures out this morning show. The average price for a first-time [...]
UK housing market activity rose to a six-month high in September – Connells Survey & Valuation October 13, 2015 UK housing market activity reached a six-month high in September, according to data out today from Connells Survey & Valuation. Last month also saw the number of property valuations reach the second-highest monthly level on record – there were just 0.5 per cent fewer valuations carried out than in March 2015, which is when they [...]
SSI coke ovens and blast furnace to be closed after no viable offer was made for Redcar plant October 12, 2015 SSI's Redcar steel plant will be closed after no viable offers were received from potential buyers, the government confirmed this afternoon. SSI was wound up by the high court in Manchester last week at the company's request, but the Official Receiver had kept the site running while talks took place with interested parties, in the hope [...]
Prime Minister David Cameron cracks down on councils over housebuilding October 12, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is putting pressure on local councils to green-light plans to build new houses today, as the government publishes its new housing and planning bill. The Prime Minister will warn local authorities that they must produce local plans for new homes in their area within the next two years – or the [...]
First-time home buyers are being priced out of UK cities – Countrywide October 12, 2015 Renters are looking further afield for their first property as housing affordability in cities begins to bite, research from the UK’s largest estate agency group reveals this morning. To get on the first rung of the housing ladder, 36 per cent of London renters end up buying outside the M25, up from 21 per cent [...]
London house prices: Luxury apartments in Gatti House on the Strand have broken street’s square footage record October 8, 2015 A new luxury development on the Strand has broken the record for the cost of square footage in the central London district. Grade II listed Gatti House was sold as four separate apartments, with the penthouse going for around £2,260 per sq ft, while the first floor was sold for £2,100 per sq ft. This is thought to be the [...]
London’s housing problem doesn’t need another government scheme: It’s time to slaughter sacred green belt cow – The City View October 7, 2015 During his time at 10 Downing Street, David Cameron has presided over a number of deeply complex attempts at helping Generation Rent climb the first rung of the housing ladder. NewBuy came first, guaranteeing 95 per cent mortgages for first-time buyers on new-build properties. That was followed by Help-to-Buys one and two: respectively, equity loans [...]