The future of the FTSE 100: What next? The quarterly reshuffle has changed the complexion of the leading index September 23, 2015 The Bloodbath continued yesterday as mining shares plummeted further and the FTSE dipped below 6,000 points. Glencore, whose shares fell by 10.63 per cent yesterday, only graduated to the elite index in 2011, but the commodities supercycle has come to a juddering halt, depressing the internationally exposed FTSE. This week also saw one [...]
UK house prices are set to go through the roof, with the fastest growth in London September 18, 2015 House prices are growing at a robust pace this month while mortgage lending has surged as the housing markets heat up. Estate agent Knight Frank’s house price sentiment indicator today scored 59.3 for September, with scores above 50 indicating price growth. The fastest current growth is in London. Households’ overall expectations of [...]
Halifax: Reluctant sellers push UK house price growth up again September 10, 2015 Another day, another confirmation that UK house prices are rocketing, after new figures showed prices were nine per cent higher in the three months to August than they were during the same period last year. To be fair, that was still lower than the impressive 9.6 per cent rise in June – but higher than [...]
UK house prices: Growing gulf between supply and demand is heating up the property market September 10, 2015 House prices could rocket even faster than previously forecast, as research reveals that accelerating demand for homes is coming up against a brick wall of scant supply. Prices are set to climb six per cent this year, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said today, doubling the estimate it made at the start [...]
UK house prices: No respite in sight for the housing market August 21, 2015 The housing market shows no sign of easing up this summer with prices climbing and mortgage lending seeing its strongest month for seven years. City level house prices are seeing their fastest growth for over a decade, property market analysts Hometrack said today. It said asking prices had increased 4.3 per cent in the [...]
UK inflation: Pound hits seven-week high as inflation unexpectedly hits 0.1 per cent in July August 18, 2015 The pound hit a seven-week high against the greenback this morning as investors cheered a better-than-expected inflation figure. Official data showed the consumer price index rose 0.1 per cent in the year to July, from zero a month earlier, beating economists' expectations for no change. Nevertheless inflation still remains well below the Bank of England's target [...]
Nationwide attacks bank surcharge, accusing George Osborne of targeting building societies August 18, 2015 Britain’s second largest mortgage lender has said chancellor George Osborne’s new bank tax will cost it £300m over the next five years. The move by Osborne to replace the bank levy with a surcharge will “disproportionately” hit building societies, Nationwide chief executive has Graham Beale said. Osborne announced in the July Budget that the annual [...]
Santander UK half-year profit almost doubles August 14, 2015 SPANISH banking giant Santander yesterday reported that UK half-year, pre-tax profit jumped to £929m from £545m in the period to June 2014. However, it warned of increasing competition in the British lending market as continuing low interest rates encouraged institutions to cut loan costs as they battle for customers. In a half-year report for its UK [...]
Super Thursday: Here what analysts think of today’s interest rate vote August 6, 2015 It's Super Thursday – the day the Bank of England unleashes a raft of data, from the latest decision on interest rates (spoiler: they left it at 0.5 per cent) to its quarterly inflation report, in an effort to increase transparency. The most anticipated section of the release was the the minutes of the latest [...]
Super Thursday: Why business wants the Bank of England to hold its nerve August 5, 2015 As the UK’s economic recovery solidifies, the siren calls for interest rate rises are intensifying. Even the governor of the Bank of England – who no one would describe as a monetary policy hawk – has begun to prepare the ground for rate hikes in the not-too-distant future. With the US Federal Reserve set to [...]