Mortgage approvals sink in July as market continues to cool on rising rates August 30, 2023 The number of mortgage approvals fell sharply in July as the housing market continues to cool off the back of rising interest rates.
Will the tail-end of summer mean more pain for the UK housing market? August 26, 2023 August, like much of the summer, has already proved a tricky month for the housing sector. Despite all major central banks slashing their rates in the wake of cooling inflation, buyer confidence still appears to be low. Last week’s Rightmove figures showed that the average price of a home fell by 1.9 per cent in [...]
Crash warning: House prices slump in July as market hits 2009 lows August 1, 2023 House prices have slumped by 3.8 per cent year on year, the latest closely watched figures from Nationwide show, as a season of high interest rates and weak consumer confidence continues to batter the market. The figure is the weakest since July 2009, although it is only slightly lower than the -3.5 per cent recorded [...]
Bank of England interest rate rises yet to pass fully through economy as borrowing ticks up July 31, 2023 The effects of the Bank of England’s aggressive interest rate rises have yet to fully feed through the UK economy as Brits continue to borrow and look to get on the property ladder, official data out today shows. A clutch of numbers released by the Bank of England today revealed consumers are not yet being [...]
Bank of England to hike interest rates for 14th time in a row to 2008 high of 5.25 per cent July 31, 2023 The Bank of England this week is tipped to hike interest rates for the 14th time in a row as it extends its fight against roaring inflation. Members of the nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) are expected on Thursday to back a 25 basis point increase to the UK’s official interest rate, which would send [...]
Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan at loggerheads over London housebuilding July 27, 2023 Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has threatened to wade into mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s efforts on housebuilding in the capital. The politicians traded verbal blows today as the PM accused the mayor of failing to build enough homes for Londoners, while Khan branded his claims “desperate nonsense”. Speaking during a visit to a development in [...]
BNP Paribas beats estimates on debt financing and cost management July 27, 2023 BNP Paribas, the euro zone’s biggest bank, beat estimates in the second quarter as its corporate debt financing business and strong cost management partly offset a slump in securities trading. The French lender’s second-quarter net income fell 4.9 per cent on a reported basis to €2.8bn (£2.4bn), beating the €2.5bn analyst consensus compiled by the [...]
One Fifth Of UK Workers Are Using AI, Without Telling The Boss July 13, 2023 Generative AI developments are moving faster than most of us can keep up with. Recent data from the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) has found that public awareness of AI has increased over the past year, with 72% of adults now able to give at least a partial explanation of [...]
Winkworth shares tumble as estate agent issues profit warning amid mortgage slump July 12, 2023 Winkworth shares tumbled 14 per cent this morning after the estate chain issued a profit warning due to soaring interest rates and a fresh slump in mortgage approvals. The company which has over 90 branches across the UK said that the sales market proved more challenging in the second quarter of the year, as rate [...]
Explainer: Small house builders face existential hurdles July 6, 2023 As mortgages and rents rocket up, the housing industry hardly needed another blow. But small firms in the sector have warned they risk going bust without an intervention. In a letter to the prime minister this week, more than 200 small to medium-sized companies lamented that changes in the planning systems are blocking new developments [...]