London house prices: Did your borough benefit from the Boris bounce? February 19, 2020 The increased political certainty offered by the Conservative General Election victory in December has been credited with giving London house prices a “Boris bounce”. This morning the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that UK house prices jumped 2.2 per cent on an annual basis in December, with London house prices [...]
The high streets paved with gold: Flat prices are skyrocketing on these London roads February 14, 2020 The Great British High Street has a lost a bit of its lustre in recent years. Handfuls of household-name retailers have hit the rocks, thanks to customers gravitating away from big chains in favour of local independents, as well as being seduced by the ease of online shopping. But while shops are floundering, the market [...]
Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid weighing up a mansion tax February 9, 2020 Number 10 is considering plans to implement a mansion tax in next month’s budget to help pay for spending increases. Plans to hit wealthy homeowners with the tax have been discussed at the Treasury and Number 10 multiple times, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Read more: Sajid Javid weighing up tax raid on high earners [...]
Does higher pay result in greater productivity? January 29, 2020 Henry Ford paid his workers $5 a day, twice the average for the car industry. Instead of setting a high selling price and keeping wages and costs low, Ford incentivised his workers to increase production and reduce costs based on economies of scale. As a result, the price of a Model T fell from $950 [...]
Bakerloo line extension may be funded by landowner tax hike January 13, 2020 Transport for London (TfL) is considering funding the £3.1bn Bakerloo line extension with a tax on landowners. The proposed works would extend the line from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham via stations on Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. Read more: Bakerloo line extension to Lewisham now open to public ocmment However, the project [...]
UK housing stock hits record value of £7 trillion January 13, 2020 The UK’s housing stock has reached a record value of £7.39 trillion, according to the latest research. Total gains last year hit £101.8bn – growth of 1.4 per cent – and the value of housing across the UK has increased by £2.74 trillion in the last 10 years. Read more: New build homes drive UK [...]
UK stocks 2020: Which shares are City A.M. staff backing in the new year? December 30, 2019 The UK stock market looks set to end the year on a high after the Tories’ election win and progress in US-China trade talks alleviated the uncertainty that has weighed on markets for months. But the road ahead is far from clear, with the looming Brexit date of 31st January and various upcoming trade negotiations [...]
Airbnb wins European court battle to dodge property rules ahead of public listing December 19, 2019 Airbnb received another boost today ahead of its public listing next year as Europe’s top court ruled that it is an online platform not an estate agent. The decision by the European court of justice will allow the company to dodge regulations faced by property brokers as it continues to expand. The company, which announced [...]
Mini bar, pepper spray pump, sound system: What the super-rich want in a panic room December 13, 2019 Most of us will never have the need for a panic room. The sum of our valuables and the size of our homes means dropping in a huge, heavy steel structure at a cost of (at least) hundreds of thousands of pounds doesn’t even cross our minds. Those who do find themselves in need of [...]
From Woodford to the leasehold scandal, here are the big personal finance stories of 2019 December 11, 2019 December is usually the season to be jolly and reflect on the past year — though perhaps it doesn’t feel that way as we head to the polls tomorrow. Nonetheless, as the year comes to a close, let’s look at the big personal finance stories of 2019, which may give us some clues about what’s [...]