Rents likely to continue rising sharply despite cost of living crisis August 10, 2023 Rents are likely to continue rising sharply despite the cost of living crisis, surveyors are warning. Property professionals’ expectations that rents will rise in the next few months are at the strongest levels seen so far this century, the findings from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) indicate. A net balance of 63 per [...]
Brokers predict ‘mortgage price war’ as lenders including HSBC and Nationwide cut rates again August 9, 2023 Brokers have suggested there could be a “mortgage price war” as lenders continue to reduce rates amid hopes inflation is finally on the way down. Nationwide reduced prices on some of its fixed products by up to 0.55 percentage points while HSBC reduced rates by up to 0.2 percentage points. TSB also lowered rates by [...]
Bellway ‘taking steps to reduce headcount’ as rate hikes continue mortgage slowdown August 9, 2023 British housebuilder Bellway’s underlying operating margin will contract from 18.5 per cent to 16 per cent as mortgage rates continue to slow down demand in the sector. The home construction company completed the build of 10,945 homes in the year ended 31 July falling from 11,198 in the same period last year. As the central [...]
European bank shares fall after shock 40 per cent Italian windfall tax on excess profits August 8, 2023 Shares in European banks fell after the Italian government announced a surprise windfall tax on banks who have seen bumper profits thanks to higher interest rates. Late last night Giorgia Meloni’s populist government agreed to impose a one-off 40 per cent tax on extra-profits, defining extra-profits as when net interest income has grown beyond three [...]
Friday’s GDP data ‘could be as good as it gets for a while’ August 7, 2023 Analysts expect UK GDP to have eked upwards in June, with official confirmation coming on Friday of this week. Resilience in consumer spending and better-than-expected PMI figures suggest the Office for National Statistics will declare the economy grew in June when it releases its monthly data later this week. Oxford Economics expects the ONS to [...]
Reeds Rains owner expects ‘substantially lower’ profit due to tough mortgage market August 7, 2023 LSL Property Services, which owns estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move, said it now expected the group's annual profit to be "substantially lower" due to subdued activity in the mortgage market.
FTSE 100 close: London flat after US jobs figures fuels Fed rate speculation August 7, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 opened the week in sluggish fashion as investors take in fears across the pond that the Fed could hike rates again. The capital’s premier blue chip index closed on 7,556.41 points, 0.11 per cent down, while the FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the domestic market, was also broadly flat on [...]
London and south east house prices fall fastest with analysts predicting five per cent crash August 7, 2023 House prices dropped by 0.3 per cent from June to July, the latest data suggests, with London and south east homes falling fastest in value. House prices fell by -2.4 per cent on an annual basis , easing from -2.6 per cent in June, the latest figures from Halifax show. The 0.3 per cent fall [...]
Persimmon under increasing pressure as rate rises crimp housing demand August 6, 2023 UK housebuilder Persimmon is expected to report a fall in revenue in its half-year update on Thursday as the sector comes under increasing pressure from higher mortgage costs. The FTSE 100 firm is expected to see revenue decline to £1.11bn, down from £1.69bn for the same period last year, according to CMC Markets. In its [...]
Reeves: Latest interest rate hike is a ‘hammer blow’ which did not need to happen August 4, 2023 Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves has labelled the latest rise in interest rates as a “hammer blow for working people” which did not need to happen. The Bank of England raised the base rate for the 14th time in a row on Thursday, taking it to 5.25% in a bid to bring inflation under control. The [...]