Low interest rates and less tax to fuel home demand January 27, 2015 The mortgage market saw a slowdown at the end of 2014 but is expected to stage a rebound this year. The number of house purchase approvals was nine per cent higher in 2014 compared to 2013, according to figures released yesterday by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA). However, the value of mortgages for house purchase [...]
Mortgage lending drops again – but BBA sees light at the end of the tunnel January 27, 2015 Mortgage lending in the UK fell in December for the six month in a row, with gross borrowing levels 12 per cent lower than they were a year ago. Figures published by the British Bankers Association this morning show that the total figure for mortgages stood at £10bn last month. House purchase approvals dropped [...]
UK growth lift as FTSE aims to test 7,000 level – London week ahead January 25, 2015 THE FIRST estimate of GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2014 looks set to deliver good news this week, with growth of around 0.6 per cent on the previous quarter and 2.8 per cent year-on-year. Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight, said: “Ongoing robust services expansion likely ensured that GDP growth held up pretty [...]
Taylor Wimpey says housing market is set for “lower rate of price of growth” January 12, 2015 House builder Taylor Wimpey reported this morning its total home completions rose six per cent to 12,454 in the year ended 31 December. The average selling price on private completions grew a hefty 11 per cent from £210,000 in 2013 to £234,000. The overall average selling price climbed 12 per cent to £213,000. The FTSE 100 [...]
Taylor Wimpey, Barratt and Persimmon share prices among biggest FTSE fallers as Jefferies slashes ratings January 9, 2015 Housebuilders Taylor Wimpey, Barratt and Persimmon were among the biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 this morning, after broker Jefferies cut its rating across the sector. Shares in Taylor Wimpey – whose rating was cut to "hold" from "buy" – were down 4.9 per cent in lunchtime trading, while Barratt and Persimmon, which were both [...]
Charter Court Financial Services launches new challenger savings bank – high interest and online-only January 7, 2015 Britain is set to get another savings bank as the wave of new firms receiving licences from the regulator continues to grow. Charter Court Financial Services yesterday said it had gained approval from the Prudential Regulation Authority to launch Charter Savings Bank. It will be an online-only savings bank, and its establishment opens up a new channel [...]
Bank of England: Mortgage approvals fall to 17-month low January 2, 2015 The number of mortgages rubber-stamped by banks dropped again in November, although by less than analysts had expected. Nevertheless, the figure is a 17-month low, underlining the trajectory of the market. During the month, banks approved 59,029 mortgages, down from 59,511 in October, but above the 58,500 analyst consensus. The fall has been a [...]
UK house price growth slows again: Can stamp duty save the market in 2015? December 30, 2014 We know the drill by now – slowing house price growth in many areas as demand wanes and the murmurings about a base rate rise reflect the logic that no matter what, it’s getting closer. Why exactly demand is waning remains something of a mystery (more of that later). Nationwide’s figures this month [...]
UK house prices 2014: Which area saw the most growth? December 28, 2014 After a roller-coaster year for house prices the results are in: the London borough of Greenwich is the place for price rises. According to data from Halifax, house prices in Greenwich rose 24.6 per cent over the course of 2014, far above the national average of 8.5 per cent and almost twice that of the [...]
Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]