Half time: London market lags as rivals across the Atlantic hit fresh highs Markets London’s main stock market index ended the first half of 2026 within touching distance of a record high set earlier in the year, but remained off the pace set by its rival in New York. The FTSE 100’s positive-but-relatively-limited run for the period summed up a feeling of measured optimism. While it made overall gains, [...]
House prices stay flat in June as Iran war fallout continues to weaken the market Property UK house prices were flat in June as the conflict in the Middle East and looming political uncertainty continue to subdue consumer confidence. The average price fell £540 in June, hitting £277,484. This was a slight drop from £278,024 the prior month where prices fell 0.6 per cent, according to the latest Nationwide house price [...]
Housebuilding giants hit with £4.5bn lawsuit for allegedly overcharging buyers Property Seven of Britain’s largest housebuilders are facing a class action lawsuit worth a potential £4.5bn in damages over allegations they overcharged 700,000 buyers of new-build properties. Mark McLaren, former parliamentary and legal affairs manager at consumer group Which?, is planning on launching the claim against FTSE 100 firms Barratt Redrow and Persimmon, FTSE 250 companies [...]
Trump blocked from sacking Fed official in landmark Supreme Court ruling June 29, 2026 A landmark ruling from the US Supreme Court has underlined the independence of the country’s central bank by blocking President Donald Trump from dismissing a Federal Reserve official. The knife edge five-to-four decision was handed down on Monday. It ruled that Trump cannot fire Lisa Cook as a Fed governor, a post she has held since 2022. [...]
Londoners should back Andy Burnham’s property tax reforms – not fear them June 26, 2026 Replacing Stamp Duty and council tax with a proportional property tax will make London’s housing market work better, says Andrew Dixon If a “London tax grab” were on the cards, Londoners would rightly be wary. They already face high rents, high mortgages and some of the largest tax bills in the country. Yet Fairer Share’s Proportional [...]
Balbec Capital Acquires Funding 365, A UK Specialist Property Lender June 22, 2026 Acquisition Establishes Dedicated UK Bridging Loan Origination Platform, Expanding Balbec's European Real Estate Capabilities
Bank of England to ‘tolerate slow return’ to inflation target as interest rates held June 18, 2026 The Bank of England has said it will tolerate a delay in getting inflation back to its two per cent target as it held interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a split Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision. Bank officials said they were closely monitoring the outcome of a peace deal being struck between the [...]
Kevin Warsh tears up forward guidance on rate moves at the Fed June 17, 2026 Kevin Warsh, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, signalled a major change to how the US central bank handles the run-up to its key interest rate decisions overnight, telling investors across global markets that “we’ve dropped forward guidance”. There was concern in the City that it could mean a decline in the level of transparency over [...]
House prices jump as property market ‘treads water in rough conditions’ June 17, 2026 House prices jumped by 0.7 per cent in April, in signs that the property market is “trading water in rough conditions” as the Iran war spikes mortgage rates. The average UK house price rose to £270,000 from March to April, marking 3.8 per cent year-on-year growth, according to new government statistics. But property experts have [...]
Nationwide fires starting gun on mortgage deals ahead of interest rate decision June 16, 2026 Nationwide has slashed its mortgage rates for the second time in the space of a week, ahead of the Bank of England’s interest rate decision on Thursday. The building society has taken the chop to its home loan prices, with a 0.28 percentage-point reduction. It follows a 0.12 cut on 10 June. The move comes [...]