This bull market has relied on technology shares July 4, 2018 This has been a long and unusually hesitant and worried bull market. Indeed, there have been a substantial number of sectors that have lived through their own bear markets whilst the overall indices push on to new highs. The US has outperformed the other advanced country equity markets and China easily over the twelve months, [...]
Positive thinking on negative equity: What to do if your home is worth less than your mortgage July 4, 2018 Less than a year ago, it was all talk of bubbles in the UK housing market. But we all know that what goes up must come down, and the first signs that the market was losing steam came at the start of this year. The market continues to look skittish, with the most recent figures [...]
The True Value of Cryptocurrency: Why the Current Price Doesn’t Matter July 3, 2018 As the City of London’s first cryptocurrency market advisory and investment firm we, have seen the price of bitcoin rise from the lows of $150 back in 2013 to the highs of nearly $20,000 in late 2017, before a steep slide back to test support around the $6,700 – as of yesterday afternoon. For those [...]
Beirut survived 15 years of civil war, and now Lebanon’s once-beleaguered capital is a highlight of the club scene June 22, 2018 It’s barely nine o’clock in the evening, and I’m uncomfortably close to my first brush with death. Or, to be more precise, Death, a lethal-sounding concoction made with gin, vodka, cognac, sherry, lemon, orange and cinnamon, stored in a bottle featuring a skull and crossbones on the front. It’s the creation of a small, dapper, [...]
Labour MPs urge investigation over ’embarrassing’ JezFest concert June 11, 2018 Labour MPs are demanding answers from the party HQ over the coming weekend's political and musical concert dubbed JezFest. The one-day Labour Live event will take place in Tottenham, north London, on 16 June. Musical acts include The Magic Numbers and Reverend and the Makers, alongside speeches by John McDonnell, Kate Osamor and activist Owen [...]
Halfway through Sadiq Khan’s mayoral marathon, the capital is in desperate need of a leader May 21, 2018 Ifo you listen carefully in the direction of City Hall, you can hear Sadiq Khan gasping for breath as he reaches the halfway point of his mayoralty marathon. It’s been a struggle for the past two years since his election, during which living in London has become increasingly difficult. The cost of living is going [...]
nHouse founders Nick Fulford and Richard Hywel Evans on the need for modular housing in the UK May 2, 2018 While we all know what disruptive tech looks like, what does disruptive housing look like? By almost universal consent, three problems need to be addressed in the current market – affordability, sustainability and quality – and whoever conquers all three will seriously shake up the UK market. Yet architect Richard Hywel Evans thinks he, along [...]
UK housing market continues to slump as number of homes sold in March drops April 24, 2018 The number of residential property transactions in the UK has dropped 7.2 per cent between February and March, according to the latest figures from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The HMRC UK Property Transaction Statistics report showed that this month’s seasonally adjusted figures were 11.8 per cent lower compared with the same month last year. [...]
Trade deficits and tariff wars: Rows to get worse before they get better March 20, 2018 In 2016 the US ran a deficit of $505bn on trade in goods and services, according to the World Bank. Germany ran a mighty surplus of $277bn on her trade, whilst China sold $250bn more goods and services than it bought from the rest of the world. Some economists see this as good news for [...]
Relaxing our misguided drug laws would save lives, money, and London’s nightlife March 20, 2018 The first time I came to London, I was shocked at how the city failed to come alive at night. Sure, it had restaurants, gigs and plays, but those are evening activities. After-hours events, nights out where you didn’t break the bank trying to get home, not so much. We’ve only recently opened up the [...]