Persimmon sees profits at top end of forecasts January 9, 2012 British house builder Persimmon said it expects underlying full-year pre-tax profits to rise by half, helped by higher sales margins, and said it was confident of further growth in 2012 as first time buyer interest improves. The largest UK housebuilder by market value said on Monday tighter cost control and sales on higher margin land [...]
What is in store for 2012? January 5, 2012 From initial reservations about the strength of the property market at the start of the year to the unexpected uplift in house prices as the year progressed, 2011 was not an easy year to predict. Against a continuing environment of uncertainty, we ask the experts what they think we have in store this year and [...]
BUY January 5, 2012 DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q. Thinking prices would be going down last year I signed a one year rental. Values seem to be going up, should I buy or stay renting? A. It’s easy to stay in a rental if values are falling but if, like in London, they’re still going up, it’s difficult to [...]
Denmark now seen as debt safe haven January 2, 2012 DENMARK has revealed that it saw a surge in demand for its debt from international investors last year, making it the latest non-Eurozone state to cash in on the hunt for a “safe haven”. The Danish central bank said that over a third of the country’s outstanding debt is now owned by foreign buyers, up [...]
Amlin sells $150m of catastrophe bonds December 23, 2011 Amlin, the biggest listed British insurer in the Lloyd’s of London market, said it sold $150m (£95m) of catastrophe bonds to protect itself against potential losses from US earthquakes and hurricanes and European storms. The bond issue, carried out through Bermuda-based vehicle Tramline Re, is double the $75 million of cover a source said Amlin [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 19, 2011 FINACIAL TIMES NETWORK RAIL WARNED OVER BONUSES Senior management at Network Rail should forget about bonuses next year, Justine Greening, the transport secretary, said on yesterday. She was speaking after the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) found that the owner of Britain’s railway infrastructure had failed to meet its punctuality targets and was in breach [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 15, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES CVC STRUGGLES WITH TERRIBLE RESULTS IN ASIA When CVC raised a $4.12bn Asian buy-out fund in 2008, Marc St John, its head of investor relations, referred to the private equity group’s record in the region when he said investors “like what they see”. A few years and a financial crisis later, investors are [...]
RENT December 15, 2011 HEAD OF RENTALS AYLESFORD INTERNATIONAL Q. I’m a homeowner with a property in central London – despite the fact that this area isn’t directly affected by the Olympics, I am keen to capitalise from the influx of tourists coming to London in the summer, but where do I start? A. Many homeowners across London are [...]
COMEBACK KID December 14, 2011 THE EXHAUSTED boss of Lloyds Banking Group is to jump back in the saddle of the beleaguered lender after doctors said he made a “full recovery”, chairman Sir Win Bischoff has announced. The bank also said that it has entered exclusive talks with the Co-operative Group over the sale of 632 branches, leaving rival bidder [...]
UK mortgage approvals jump December 8, 2011 Loans for home purchases hit their highest since December 2009 in November, according to data out today from e.surv chartered surveyors, thanks largely to loose mortgage conditions. Purchase approvals rose from 52,743 in October to 54,658 in November on a seasonally adjusted basis – an increase of four per cent, and 15 per cent higher [...]