Mortgage approvals flatline in wake of stamp duty holiday January 4, 2022 The number of mortgages approved in November last year exceeded expectations, despite dropping slightly compared to the previous month. Some 66,964 mortgages were approved in November 2021, according to fresh data published by the Bank of England this morning. Although November was down on October’s figure of 67,103 the number of approvals exceeded real estate [...]
UK house prices accelerate at fastest pace since before financial crisis December 30, 2021 UK house prices have accelerated at their fastest pace since before the financial crisis, shooting up over 10 per cent over the last year, reveal fresh figures released today. The cost of buying a home in Britain hit £254,822 this month, the highest price on record and up around £24,000 since December last year, according [...]
TSB’s Debbie Crosbie becomes Nationwide’s first female chief exec December 3, 2021 Nationwide Building Society, Britain’s second-biggest provider of home loans, said this morning it has appointed Debbie Crosbie as its new chief executive officer. Crosbie, who is currently the chief exec of Spain’s Sabadell’s TSB unit, will take over from Joe Garner in the new year. She will be the group’s first female executive director, Nationwide [...]
Over half of Brits in the dark over their credit score December 2, 2021 A survey has revealed that 51 per cent of Brits do not know their credit score even though many are aware of its importance.
Mortgage approvals drop dramatically as market hits ‘tipping point’ after stamp duty holiday November 29, 2021 Mortgage approvals for house purchase dropped sharply after the end of the stamp duty holiday, the Bank of England said. Mortgage approvals for house purchase dropped down to 67,200 in October from 71,900 in September, close to the 12-month average up to February 2020 of 66,700. However, approvals in October remained above the pre-Covid averages [...]
Markets digest Omicron: After worst equity day of the year on Friday, we are in for a bumpy ride this week November 29, 2021 The wider question with respect to Friday’s market collapse and the worst day for equity markets this year, as well as the 13 fall in oil prices, is not so much as to whether it was justified or not, but whether it marks a sea change in market sentiment when it comes to the economic [...]
UK housing market still steaming despite looming stamp duty break cut off September 29, 2021 The looming end of a watered down tax break on house purchases has not cooled the UK’s rampant housing market, according to official figures released today. Brits took on £21.5bn in mortgage debt last month, up sharply from July’s figure of £16.6bn, shows Bank of England data. A record low interest rate environment has propped [...]
Messages from central bankers suggest persistent inflation concerns are rising September 29, 2021 European markets had a poor day yesterday, all of them down over 2 per cent, with the notable exception of the FTSE100 which was helped in no small part by its hefty energy component, and a sinking pound, which helped to keep it above the 7,000 level. “Once again it is fears about surging energy [...]
City A.M. TV: A market snapshot August 31, 2021 Markets responded well to Fed Chair Powell’s key speech last Friday. The main US equity index rallied both on the speech and then continued its strength during yesterday’s US session (whilst the UK was closed for bank holiday). As well as new record highs for the S&P500 and NDX100, Powell’s dovishness also brought about a [...]
Stamp duty taper triggers dip in mortgage approvals August 31, 2021 Mortgage approvals declined over the last month as the tapering of the stamp duty holiday deterred Brits from pushing ahead with homepurchases, according to official data published today. Data from the Bank of England shows there were 75,152 mortgage approvals in July, the first full month after the stamp duty taper, down from 80,272 in [...]