Zoopla: Coronavirus could send UK house prices plunging March 26, 2020 UK house prices could plunge dramatically as the coronavirus outbreak causes demand to dry up, Zoopla has warned. The spread of Covid-19 is already having a big effect on the market, causing a 40 per cent drop in demand for housing in the seven days to 22 March, according to data from property website Zoopla. [...]
Coronavirus: Barratt Developments scraps dividend March 25, 2020 Housebuilder Barratt Developments has scrapped its £100m payout to shareholders over the business uncertainty caused by coronavirus. Barratt, which has closed all of its sites, said it expects the coronavirus outbreak to have a “significant impact” on construction output and reservations and has cancelled all previous financial guidance. The company said that due to the [...]
Persimmon cancels dividend and begins shutdown of sites March 25, 2020 Persimmon is the latest housebuilder to cancel its dividend in an attempt to conserve cash as coronavirus uncertainty hits sales. The housebuilder said the period of uncertainty will lead to a delay in the timing of legal completions, a rise in cancellation rates and a material slowdown in new sales for Persimmon. As such the [...]
New builds: Homes on the market in London this week, from flats for West Ham fans to a Bromley mansion March 13, 2020 Hanworth Apartments, Hounslow From £339,000 for a one-bed Jet setters will want to take a look at Hanworth Apartments, the new phase of homes at Barratt London’s High Street Quarter in Hounslow. Its 38 one, two and three-bed apartments are just ten minutes from Heathrow Airport, with prices starting at £339,000 for a one-bed. A [...]
Housebuilders boosted by HSBC stock upgrade February 19, 2020 Shares in housebuilding firms jumped today after HSBC upgraded its view on the stocks, saying the decisive general election result “unleashed pent-up demand” in activity. Berkeley’s share price rose 3.2 per cent to an all-time high this morning after HSBC upgraded the stock from “hold” to “buy”. The bank now has “buy” ratings on all [...]
Housebuilder Barratt’s half-year profit boosted by strong sales February 5, 2020 Barratt Developments has reported a rise in pre-tax profit for the first-half as the UK’s biggest housebuilder sold more homes at lower prices. Barratt, which sold its highest number of homes in 12 years in the six months to 31 December, said this morning that profit before tax rose 3.7 per cent to £423m. “We [...]
Housebuilders lead FTSE 100 bounce as coronavirus fears abate January 22, 2020 The FTSE 100 rebounded this morning following its worst performance in two weeks on Tuesday, with housebuilders leading the blue chip index after Berkeley raised its planned shareholder returns. The index gained 0.10 per cent in morning trading, led by Berkley. The company climbed as much as 5.40 per cent to hit a record high [...]
No-deal Brexit fears trigger sell-off of Barclays, Lloyds and RBS shares December 17, 2019 Shares in Barclays, Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) all slumped in early trading after Boris Johnson brought back the spectre of a no-deal Brexit today. The trio failed to impress in yesterday’s Bank of England stress tests, where analysts warned that a strategy to double a 100-basis point capital buffer designed to protect [...]
UK stocks and sterling surge after Conservative election win shuts out Labour December 13, 2019 UK stocks surged today after the Conservatives secured a decisive majority in the General Election, boosted by rallying retailers, housebuilders and utility firms. The FTSE 100 index climbed over one per cent in morning trading, but was held back slightly by a strong sterling, while the FTSE 250, however, leapt as much as four per [...]
Conservative election victory sparks sharp recovery in housebuilder stocks December 13, 2019 The uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the country’s future has long been blamed as a source of the property market’s recent struggles. However a sizeable Conservative majority in the general election has already resulted in a sharp rise in housebuilder stocks. FTSE 100 firm Taylor Wimpey’s share price rose by 11.4 per cent in early morning [...]