UK economy grows 0.6 per cent in second quarter, in line with expectations August 15, 2024 The UK economy grew in line with expectations in the second quarter of 2024, as it continued to bounce back from a shallow recession.
One in three delay buying new home as high costs and interest rates bite August 14, 2024 The saga of first-time buyers trying to get on the UK housing ladder is long and well documented. High interest rates, rising costs and rents which swallow up more than a third of wages – in some parts of the country – have meant that around one in three people have delayed their purchase of [...]
Rising London rents are ‘a pressure cooker ready to explode’ as home ownership ‘inching out of reach’ August 14, 2024 “A pressure cooker ready to explode” is how one expert has described the current situation in the UK housing market as data showed rents jumped close to 10 per cent in London over the past year. In fresh data released this morning it was revealed that average UK private rents increased by 8.6 per cent [...]
Leeds-upon-Thames? How the West Yorkshire heartland is luring British institutions away from London August 14, 2024 Over the past few years Leeds has emerged as a go-to destination for British institutions looking to venture beyond the M25. Since 2018 Channel 4, the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority and the UK Infrastructure Bank have all opened hubs or expanded their presence in the city, adding hundreds of new jobs and [...]
UK inflation comes in below expectations in July August 14, 2024 UK inflation jumped back above the Bank of England’s two per cent target in July, but came in below City estimates for the period. According to figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), prices rose 2.2 per cent in July. Meanwhile, core inflation, or price rises excluding volatile food and energy [...]
A burden or a blessing? PFIs look set for a return under Labour August 13, 2024 Reports that Rachel Reeves is mooting the use of private finance to fund the £9bn Lower Thames Crossing has fuelled chatter that Private Finance Initiatives could be set for a return.
‘Magnificent’ Hyde Park penthouse on sale for £60m August 13, 2024 A £60m penthouse has gone on sale in Hyde Park in a tentative sign that the super-prime market may be turning towards bigger, more expensive homes again. The apartment, which is one of London’s biggest listings in 2024, includes “one of the largest private terraces in central London”, according to James Van Den Heule, co-founding director [...]
UK’s largest pension fund agrees £405m homes deal with Blackstone August 13, 2024 The UK’s largest pension fund has acquired 3,000 homes from Blackstone for more than £400m. The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has snapped up the portfolio of shared ownership homes from affordable housing company, Sage. Sage is majority-owned by Blackstone alongside real estate investor Regis and was formed in 2017. The £405m deal is the first [...]
UK unemployment falls unexpectedly as wage growth slows to two-year low August 13, 2024 UK unemployment unexpectedly fell in the three months to June while a slowdown in wage growth to its lowest level in more than two years added to signs that the jobs market is cooling.
‘Further to go’: Junior doctors to vote on 22 per cent pay rise August 12, 2024 Junior doctors are set to vote on a proposed 22 per cent pay rise despite admitting there is “further to go” to achieve pay restoration.