Cladding bill nears £2bn mark as Bellway, Vistry and Countryside Partnership pledge to fix homes April 7, 2022 Housebuilders’ pledges to repairing unsafe cladding has neared a bill of £2bn as Bellway pledged £485m to fix homes on Thursday. According to analysis from AJ Bell, the total bill now stands at £1.8bn, with FTSE 100 developer Berkeley yet to declare how much it will provide. The department for levelling up, housing and communities [...]
Tax Spotlight: How the jump in national insurance will affect you and your household April 6, 2022 As Brits try to juggle surging living costs on a shrunken wage packet, experts have warned the pain of the rise in national insurance will be felt by people on their next payday, Here is a look at why the increase is happening and why “awful April” is seen as just the start of a [...]
Cost of living squeeze deals financial crisis level blow to Brits’ optimism April 4, 2022 Brits’ optimism is eroding at the fastest pace since the financial crisis amid the tightest cost of living squeeze in a generation, reveals a closely watched survey released today. A combination of inflation scaling to its highest rate in three decades, tax hikes, swelling energy bills and weak wage growth have bound together to deal [...]
Home buyer demand bouncing back across UK with Blackpool, Swindon and Newcastle leading the pack April 2, 2022 Zoopla this morning said the supply of homes being put up for sale generally is building momentum, although the overall choice of properties remains constrained. Blackpool and Swindon are among the urban areas seeing a bounceback in home buyer activity, according to the property website. The stock of homes available to buy is still 42 [...]
Which FTSE 100 stocks should you keep an eye on? April 1, 2022 Despite the FTSE 100 rising last month, rising issues could cause them to fall in April. But some may resist the trend. BAE Systems (LON:BA) BAE Systems shares are up 30% to 722p year-to-date, after it was boosted by sentiment over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and encouraging full-year results which saw sales grow by 5% to [...]
House price growth hits highest level since 2004 with record average of £265.3k March 31, 2022 Annual house price growth has increased to 14.3 per cent, from 12.6 per cent in February. According to Nationwide’s house price index, this was the strongest pace since November 2004. The price tag of the average home hit a new record of £265,312, an increase of more than £33,000 in the past year. Prices have [...]
Hong Kong’s Covid-19 battle has ‘brain drained’ economy as house prices are forecast to fall March 30, 2022 While some restrictions are due to be eased next month, Hong Kong’s battle with Covid-19 will fuel a shrinking economy and plunging house prices, according to Goldman Sachs economists. House prices are forecast to fall around 20 per cent over the next four years, falling five per cent every year, while mortgage rates are expected [...]
Average mortgage hits £235k as cost of living crunch threatens home ownership plans for many March 29, 2022 The total value of mortgages lent rocketed last month as buyers face more affordability roadblocks to home ownership. Some 70,933 mortgages were given the green light in February, compared to 73,841 in January, according to the Bank of England’s monthly money and credit figures. However, the total value lent rose (from £16.6bn to £16.7bn), meaning [...]
Average UK house price stands at £274k, a £24k annual increase March 23, 2022 The average UK house price hit £274,000 in January, a £24,000 uplift compared to the year prior. Average house prices increased 9.6 per cent over the year to January, a dip from 10 per cent in December 2021, according to the latest official statistics. London continues to be the region with the lowest annual growth [...]
Financials rally boosts London’s top indexes March 22, 2022 A rally among financial stocks boosted London’s top indexes this morning as the FTSE 100 closes in on its pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine high. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.46 per cent higher at 7,476.72 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]