House prices turn upwards in London yet continue to slump in rest of the UK March 30, 2011 LONDON is the first UK region to register a rise in house prices for eight months, the Hometrack monthly national housing survey announced today. While prices across the UK fell by 0.1 per cent in March, in the capital they rose by 0.2 per cent. The upturn was driven by a 25 per cent increase [...]
Rambourg is cleared after probe by FSA March 29, 2011 A YEAR ago today Guillaume Rambourg was sitting pretty in Gartmore’s Fenchurch Street offices. He was among the firm’s standout performers and one of the brightest stars in the City’s glittering constellation. Alongside Roger Guy, co-head of European hedge funds, he was responsible for more than 20 per cent of Gartmore’s £21bn investment portfolio. By [...]
Don’t let builders be the only beneficiaries March 28, 2011 Housebuilding companies have rallied since news in last week’s budget that £250m would be made available to help first time buyers get onto the property ladder. Dubbed Firstbuy Direct, the scheme will give those below a certain income threshold access to a 25 per cent equity loan to cover the deposit on a new home. [...]
The boss of the UK’s largest broker sees a long road back to recovery March 28, 2011 The chief executive of the UK’s largest independent stockbroker Collins Stewart takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment. After a pause, Mark Brown, who is sitting in his large modern office with floor-to-ceiling views of the City, says: “I think we are about halfway towards getting the firm back to where it should [...]
Going private in the Maldives, at long last March 24, 2011 For years, the Indian Ocean’s most exquisite islands, the Maldives, have been solely the preserve of hotels. Now, they’ve begun to open up to foreign buyers, thanks to new laws introduced by the pro-enterprise President Mohamed Nasheed. Before Nasheed, elected two years ago, leaseholds were too short to attract European buyers – but they have [...]
WHAT DOES THE CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET MEAN FOR YOU? March 23, 2011 CATHERINE GANNON, 48 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CITY LAW FIRM GANNONS LAW LLP Catherine is single with two children, earns a gross income of over £100,000 a year and pays a mortgage on her family home. She has a share portfolio and also has mortgages on various investment properties. She does not drink or smoke. She [...]
HOUSING SUPPORT March 23, 2011 CHANGES TO STAMP DUTY LAND TAX ON BULK PURCHASES If the buyer chooses then the rate of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) on properties can be determined by the mean value of the homes bought, rather than the aggregate value that is currently the case. This will be subject to a minimum rate of one [...]
FTSE inches up despite Sainsbury’s glum update March 23, 2011 BRITAIN’S top shares edged up higher yesterday, on a budget day that brought a mixed outlook for UK corporates. J Sainsbury fell sharply after a downbeat trading update, while sector peers firmed after the budget, as did housebuilders which got a first-time property buyers boost, while North Sea-focused oil firms were hit by a tax [...]
Mortgage approvals from UK high street banks remain low March 23, 2011 MORTGAGE approvals for house purchases remained near their lowest level for two years, the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) reported yesterday. The 29,923 mortgage approvals in February were just a slight upgrade from the 29,159 in January and the 23 month low of 29,029 in December. Mortgage approvals were down about 11 per cent on the [...]
Osborne to hike tax allowances March 22, 2011 GEORGE Osborne will today unveil small tax cuts, help for first-time buyers and a series of symbolic measures to show he is tough on the rich. But his Budget could be overshadowed by spiralling inflation and weaker public finances, preventing him from pulling any rabbits out of his hat. The chancellor will announce that he [...]