I recreated all my favourite TV tropes, from crawling through pipes to being two kids in a trenchcoat
Budget 2017: Here’s how the Budget will affect landlords and the buy-to-let sector March 8, 2017 With the housing crisis in full throes, the last few years have been difficult ones to be a landlord – indeed, many have felt punished by measures such as an end to mortgage tax relief and higher stamp duty on buy-to-let homes. The good news for landlords was that today's Budget didn't include any further [...]
Discretionary income is “fading fast” as fuel prices squeeze families February 27, 2017 Growth in discretionary income is "fading fast" as fuel prices soared in January. UK families had an average £205 of disposable income available each week last month, according to Asda's income tracker, up 3.5 per cent on the same month the year before. Read more: Alarm bells sound over rising costs and inflation However growth [...]
US consumers feel a Trump bump as confidence rises to 12-year high January 27, 2017 US consumers have greeted the arrival of Donald Trump as President with glee, as confidence soared in January to its highest level in 12 years, according to a closely watched survey. Optimism for the prospects of the world’s largest economy has risen by nine per cent year on year, according to the survey by the [...]
Mortgage lending hit a nine-month high in December January 26, 2017 Mortgage approvals hit a nine-month high in December, and overall in 2016, gross mortgage lending increased 12 per cent. Figures from the British Bankers Association show that gross mortgage borrowing increased by 3.6 per cent year-on-year in December, reaching £12.6bn, with remortgaging approvals jumping 30 per cent to their highest level since October 2008. Read more: Restaurateur [...]
Increasing levels of cyber security will be vital as fintech approaches “watershed moment” January 12, 2017 In 1993, cartoonist Peter Steiner of The New Yorker coined the phrase: ‘On the internet, no-one knows you’re a dog.’ More than 20 years later, the issue of internet privacy and a user’s ability to send and receive messages anonymously, remains a significant barrier to building online trust. “The reality is, as individuals, if we [...]
Pension or property: Which is the better option for your retirement? August 31, 2016 The Bank of England’s chief economist Andy Haldane drew ire from the pensions industry for the second time this year, when he claimed that property was a better investment option for retirement than a pension in an interview with The Sunday Times this weekend. “It ought to be pensions but it’s almost certainly property,” Haldane said. [...]
What will happen to UK equities if we leave the European Union? June 21, 2016 The pound and the FTSE soared yesterday, as the Remain camp wrestled back its lead in the polls. But the outcome of Thursday’s EU referendum is far from clear, with pundits saying that voter turnout will be pivotal in determining whether the UK stays or leaves. If Article 50 is triggered and sterling dives, what should [...]
Say what you like about the EU referendum – but Brexit isn’t going to hit UK house prices June 13, 2016 Why leaving or staying will have no impact on house prices In the run-up to next Thursday’s referendum, there have been some flabbergasting claims made by both sides. Suppositions made include the premise that leaving the European Union would lead to war and recession (although it was not made clear in what order these will [...]
How landlords are softening the blow of buy to let tax changes June 10, 2016 The government's tax changes on second homes has produced a record demand for mortgages through companies in the first quarter of 2016, according to a report released today. Buy to let lending to limited companies surged to nearly 38,000 in the first quarter, which is more than for the whole of 2014, as landlords incorporate to [...]
House price growth falls to its lowest since October 2015 as stamp duty changes take their toll June 1, 2016 Have George Osborne's changes to house prices had their desired effect? House price growth fell in May, to its lowest since October last year – suggesting things could be about to look up for those struggling to move up the property ladder. Nationwide's House Price Index showed prices rose 1.3 per cent to £204,368 in the [...]