Say what? EU referendum week gets off to a stonking start as sterling and FTSE close higher – pushed up by banking and housebuilding shares June 20, 2016 Investors may have been bracing themselves for a disastrous pre-referendum week – but things got off to a pretty good start today, with sterling hitting its highest since May, and banking shares bouncing back after a less-than-impressive performance last week. The FTSE 100 closed three per cent per cent higher – soaring above 6,000 points to hit 6,204. Meanwhile, the pound [...]
BAE Systems boss warns employees of uncertainty in the UK in stark Brexit warning June 13, 2016 Defence and aerospace group BAE Systems has warned its staff of the risks of Britain leaving the EU. The company's CEO Ian King told employees in a note on the BAE Systems' internal website that Brexit would bring a "period of uncertainty", Sky News has reported. "From early on we have made clear our company view that remaining part of [...]
Housebuilder share prices take a hit due to uncertainty over the outcome of the EU referendum June 9, 2016 Housebuilder share prices took a hit this morning as uncertainty over the outcome of the EU referendum cast a shadow over the property market. Taylor Wimpey shares were down 1.53 per cent in late morning trading to 186.20p, Barratt Developments shares dopped by 1.41 per cent to 559.00p and shares in Berkeley Group were down 1.85 [...]
At the close: FTSE 100 bulldozes over Brexit concerns as oil and metal prices climb June 6, 2016 The FTSE 100 managed to kick off the week with a rise today, finishing up one per cent at 6,273.40 points. A jump in commodity prices managed to offset fears of Brexit that dragged down house builders. A flurry of recent polls have put the leave campaign neck-and-neck with remain as the 23 June vote draws nearer. The news [...]
New homes on sale in London: from a Hackney reservoir opened by Sir David Attenborough to Shared Ownership homes in Greenwich and Penge June 2, 2016 Woodberry Down, Stoke Newington From £475,000 Live in an apartment overlooking a protected nature reserve in north east London that hasn’t been accessible to the public for 200 years. Sir David Attenborough re-opened the Stoke Newington Reservoir in April and now the first homes next to it, The Nature Collection, are on sale. Set across [...]
At the close: Opec uncertainty holds the FTSE 100 down June 2, 2016 What was a volatile day on the markets ended rather flat. Big European Central Bank (ECB) and Opec meetings in Vienna failed to move the FTSE 100 far in either direction and it ended down 0.1 per cent at 6,185.61 points. The ECB decided, as expected, to keep interest rates on hold. Though it did raise growth and [...]
Best of British: Four top UK stocks for your ISA – the cream of the house builders, defence, television and retail May 31, 2016 The UK is home to many great businesses and buying shares in ones with good business models and prospects for growth can be a great way to boost savings in an Isa or Sipp. Markets have been rocky this year because of Brexit and trouble overseas, but we asked the best fund managers for examples of [...]
Focus On Deptford: First time buyers flock to SE8 in search of affordable homes, but is it the new Shoreditch? May 26, 2016 In Tudor times, Deptford was the centre of the naval world. Operated by the Royal Navy from the mid-16th to the late 19th century, the Deptford Docks maintained warships for 350 years and attracted the greatest mariners of the time to its shores, from Sir Water Raleigh to Sir Francis Drake. But once the navy [...]
Plumbers ramp up fees on emergency call outs by 117 per cent May 17, 2016 Plumbers ramp up their fees by a staggering 117 per cent if they are called out in an emergency, new research has found. Householders who desperately need a tradesperson to fix a water leak end up paying a “plumber premium” on the normal hourly rate, with some plumbers quoting up to £300+VAT an hour, according to [...]
Barratt predicts “significant improvement” as help to buy boosts housebuilding May 11, 2016 Barratt is showing no signs of suffering from the slowdown in property sales, with the housebuilder today confidently forecasting "a significant improvement in performance for the full year" thanks to help to buy. The figures The 19 weeks to 8 May have been "strong", with total forward sales, including joint ventures, up by 9.7 per cent to £2,8bn. Net [...]