Homes more affordable but borrowers stretched by rising mortgage costs August 23, 2023 The cost of a typical house is 6.7 times average earnings in Britain despite the recent slowdown in the property market, according to new figures. Mortgage lender Halifax said this is down from a record high of 7.3 times average earnings last summer, when a UK home cost an average £293,586 and the average annual [...]
Ithaca Energy announces fresh shareholder payout after £175m windfall tax hit August 23, 2023 Ithaca Energy has announced fresh dividend payments for shareholders in its half-year trading update, despite a hefty windfall tax hit.
Britain is shooting itself in the foot with prohibitive rules for skilled migrants August 23, 2023 If we want skilled workers in Britain, we can't keep making visas three times more expensive than other nations competing for talent, writes Derin Kocer.
Trade bodies warn Bank of England economic data ignores small business fears August 22, 2023 The proportion of businesses that will struggle to pay back debts due to rising interest rates could increase to the highest level since the financial crisis, the Bank of England has warned. In a blog post published today, the central bank said the proportion of firms that are seeing debt-servicing distress is projected to increase [...]
Marex profit leaps after ED&F acquisition as expansion plans reap rewards August 22, 2023 London-based commodities broker Marex Group more than doubled its pretax profit in the first half of the year as it reaped the rewards from its expansion plans. Total trades completed climbed 166 per cent to 59m while the number of contracts cleared tripled to 312m. This helped revenue climb 86 per cent in the period [...]
BHP boss bullish over demand in China as Aussie miner’s profits tumble August 22, 2023 Miner BHP has cut forecasted growth in China and reported profits down by 37 per cent last year, but CEO Mike Henry remained optimistic this morning
The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on falling house prices, global travel’s acceleration and Netflix’s Sackler drama August 22, 2023 Today, Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, takes the City A.M. notebook pen The only thing being built is negative momentum Rising interest rates, high inflation and the cost of living crisis are starting to take a serious toll on the UK housing market. Just this week, data from Rightmove pointed to a [...]
Build me up: make ‘retrofit first’ a legal requirement to save London’s skyline August 22, 2023 Developers buying historic buildings should first be asked to try and restore it with a modern twist before they go full steam-ahead with demolition, writes Graham Clemett.
Retail shares may rise as profit upgrades boost investor confidence August 21, 2023 Retail shares could shoot up over the coming months despite recessionary headwinds, reports from City analysts suggest. Analysts at Peel Hunt said the market was “undervalued,” following a season of profit downgrades issued by major UK retailers that sent investor conference sinking. Many retailers were hit hard by red-hot inflation which led consumers to be [...]
Markets look for clues on future direction of interest rates as central bankers meet for Jackson Hole Symposium August 21, 2023 Central bankers from around the world will descend on Wyoming for the annual central banking jamboree later this week, with markets looking closely for any signals about the future direction of interest rates. Last year the discussion focused on the near certain recession that commentators thought would develop in the face of rapidly rising interest [...]