UK households downbeat over finances despite slowing growth in living costs January 21, 2019 Living costs have risen at the slowest rate in three years this month, however UK households remained downbeat due to concerns over job security, lower cash availability and pessimism over the UK housing market. The Household Finance Index, which measures household's perceptions of financial wellbeing, increased in January to a three-month high of 44.8 but [...]
Bank earnings the next big threat to Buffett’s portfolio after Apple profit warning? January 14, 2019 Warren Buffett may invest for the long haul, but surely any money manager must wince at the thought of losing a $4 billion chunk of their portfolio. Apple shares tanked at the start of the year after CEO Tim Cook issued the company’s first profit warning in 12 years, blaming the US-Sino trade war and [...]
House sales fell in 85 per cent of London boroughs in 2018 January 11, 2019 House sales slumped in 85 per cent of London boroughs in 2018 amid a difficult time for the UK’s property market, new data revealed today. London fared worse than the rest of the country in terms of the number of transactions, with a 6.5 per cent overall year-on-year drop compared to a 4.9 per cent fall [...]
UK house prices get unexpected December boost but market remains subdued January 8, 2019 UK house prices rose 1.3 per cent in the three months to December compared to the same period last year, according to new figures from Halifax. The annual growth rate was up from the 0.3 per cent recorded in November, but house prices were 0.4 per cent lower than in the preceding three months. Read [...]
Mortgage approvals decline in November as Brexit uncertainty impacts housing market January 4, 2019 The number of mortgage approvals fell to a seven-month low in November as Brexit concerns continued to rattle the housing market. Mortgage approvals fell to 63,728 in November, down from 66,709 the previous month, according to new figures from the Bank of England (BoE) released today. Mortgage lending rose by £3.5bn in the same month, lower than the [...]
First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit 10-year high despite higher UK house prices January 2, 2019 First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit their highest level in more than 10 years in 2018, the latest data shows. An estimated 367,038 first-time buyers took out mortgages last year, up from 362,800 in 2017, according to analysis from Yorkshire Building Society using UK Finance figures. The number exceeded 2007 levels, when 359,000 first-time buyers secured mortgages, [...]
Own, loan, or Drover: How the subscription economy is shaking up the car industry December 7, 2018 Felix Leuschner looks far too young to have founded three successful businesses. This German-born entrepreneur was just 23 when he launched what became Europe’s largest marketplace for gaming goods, where players could trade virtual products. After selling that company just nine months later, he moved to London and started a fast-fashion website called Stylistpick, collaborating with [...]
UK house price growth slumps to six-year low December 7, 2018 UK house prices grew by their weakest rate in almost six years last month, according to figures released today. Boasting just 0.3 per cent growth in the three months to the end of November compared to the same period last year, house prices fell to their lowest growth since December 2012, according to Halifax. House [...]
UK house price growth recovers from five-year low in November, Nationwide figures show November 30, 2018 UK house prices grew by an average of 1.9 per cent in November, up 0.3 per cent month on month to recover from a five-year low in October, Nationwide announced this morning. The figure is expected to improve if economic and political uncertainty surrounding Brexit lifts over the coming months and employment continues to rise, the [...]
Mortgage approvals rise to nine-month high while consumer borrowing growth slows, says Bank of England November 29, 2018 Mortgage approvals rose to a surprising nine-month high last month, while consumer borrowing increased at its slowest pace since May 2015, the Bank of England said today. While the Bank said mortgage market activity was “broadly stable” in October, households borrowed an extra £4.1bn against their homes and the number of mortgages approved rose to [...]