The Square Mile and Me: Dan Howe on the Jugged Hare and his first IPO celebration April 13, 2023 Where we ask the big questions of the City’s big names. This week, Janus Henderson’s head of investment trusts Dan Howe tells us about the Jugged Hare and his first IPO celebration What was your first job?I had the dream first job – as a lifelong watersports enthusiast, my first job was driving the chase [...]
Is it over now? Where next for the banking crisis in Europe April 7, 2023 Is that it? After a few weeks of exhilarating volatility, European banking stocks have settled into a more reliable pattern. It seems dramatic regulatory interventions have stemmed the possibility of immediate financial difficulties. The question now is whether the events of the past few weeks are symptoms of wider financial problems which will be brought [...]
Is HS2 holding up the UK’s construction industry? Output up but housebuilding continues to fall April 6, 2023 Civil engineering rose at its highest level since 2009 in March, according to a leading global index which measures the monthly construction output of the UK economy. At 50.7 in March, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global /CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – which measures month-on-month changes in total industry activity – was [...]
London house prices: Price of a home in the capital will set average buyer back by over £537k April 6, 2023 London house prices continued their upward climb with the average price of a home in the capital £537,250 in March. Halifax’s house price index found that Greater London alongside the North East, were the only areas of the country that did not experience a slowdown in the rate of annual house price inflation. As the [...]
UK housing model is ‘broken’, says Michael Gove April 3, 2023 The UK’s housing model is “broken”, housing secretary Michael Gove has said. The comments by the senior cabinet minister come in a foreword to a collection of essays by liberal conservative think tank Bright Blue. First reported by the Times newspaper, Mr Gove writes: “We desperately need more homes to bring ownership within reach of [...]
How likely is a UK property market crash and what IS happening with house prices? March 31, 2023 This week prospective buyers were hit with another flurry of less-than optimistic reports about the outlook for the housing market; house prices continued to fall in value and mortgage approvals struggled to get above pre-pandemic levels. Nationwide’s report found that house prices fell 3.1 per cent in March, the largest annual decline since July 2009 [...]
House prices fall in largest annual drop since 2009 as inflation and higher borrowing costs dampen property market March 31, 2023 House prices fell 3.1 per cent in March, the largest annual decline since July 2009 as consumer confidence remained weak and household budgets came under increasing pressure from high inflation. According to data from Nationwide, East Anglia, which was the strongest performing region last quarter, saw a significant slowdown, with prices falling 1.8 per cent [...]
Bank of England backs ‘substantial’ LDI cash buffer boost to prevent repeat of mini budget chaos March 29, 2023 Pension funds that borrow hundreds of billions of pounds to maximise returns for clients need to keep more money aside to withstand a repeat of the financial market aftershocks which followed Liz Truss’s mini-budget, the Bank of England has recommended. Liability driven investment (LDI) funds that are used by retirement funds to boost returns for [...]
Bellway: How a spring uplift in the property market is giving housebuilder cause for optimism March 28, 2023 Bellway has said homebuyer demand has started to improve after seeing reservations plunge by nearly 50 per cent due to soaring mortgage rates. The housebuilder group, whose headquarters are in Newcastle, reported underlying pre-tax profits falling 4.6 per cent to £312.1 million for the six months to January 31. It delivered record revenues, up 1.6 [...]
L&G report: Inflation is widening gap between rich and poor with ‘pay cut’ for 95 per cent of UK households March 27, 2023 Legal & General’s Rebuilding Britain Index (RBI) found that 95 per cent of working UK households have experienced a real terms pay cut over the last 12-months as rising inflation makes its way felt into nearly all households. UK inflation has surpassed forecasts and stayed in the double digits and the rate of price increases [...]