Selling your home? The price must be right… September 20, 2019 It’s a common refrain: “Number 22 sold for this much, but mine is worth more than that!” Whether you like it or not, British pride and financial security is based heavily on the value of our homes. Often, though, the price you have in mind is not necessarily what you get when you decide to [...]
US Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by a quarter point September 18, 2019 The US Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the second meeting in a row amid concerns about a global economic slowdown, in a move which was largely expected by economists. The central bank lowered its main federal funds target rate by 25 basis points (0.25 percentage points) to between 1.75 and two per cent, [...]
First-time buyer demand boosts July mortgage figures September 17, 2019 First-time home buyer demand has remained strong despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty. Mortgages for buyers making their first step on to the property ladder in July increased 5.8 per cent compared to the same month last year. Read more: Shifting stamp duty would hurt first-time buyers The number of homemover mortgages also increased 1.4 [...]
PPI costs account for over half of all conduct and litigation charges at UK banks September 16, 2019 Costs from the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) has accounted for more than half of all litigation and conduct charges faced by Britain’s biggest banks in recent years. Moody’s Investors Service has said that PPI was the largest single source of conduct and litigation charges from 2011 to the first half of 2019, as [...]
Housebuilder stocks facing a Brexit wrecking ball? September 16, 2019 The construction sector seems to be freezing ahead of a potential Brexit. Are investors right to be fleeing housebuilder stocks? The housing sector has been affected throughout the Brexit process, with demand, supply, prices and overall transactions shaken up in the wake of the 2016 referendum. It has not been a straight path for the [...]
The great British sell-off: Three ways for investors to profit September 13, 2019 As the final act of the Brexit saga approaches, investors are still locked in a state of perpetual uncertainty. We can’t know what will unfold, but what business is continually telling the government is how difficult it is to plan in the current environment. Brexit is the moment when we will receive some clarity, for [...]
Lloyds suspends share buyback as PPI costs rise to £1.8bn September 9, 2019 Lloyds Banking Group has warned its costs relating to mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI) could hit an additional £1.8bn after a rush of claims before the 29 August deadline. The bank had previously forecast costs of just under £1.1bn, based on a claims rate of 190,000 per week. Read more: Tesco sells mortgage arm to [...]
Sainsbury’s planning major changes to struggling bank arm September 8, 2019 Sainsbury’s is plotting a radical overhaul of its loss-making banking arm as it reconsiders its business model in the wake of its failed merger with Asda. Read more: Sainsbury’s partners with Deliveroo on pizza takeaway service The household name is weighing up its options ahead of a meeting with investors in two weeks’ time. The [...]
UK house prices rise at fastest rate since April, finds Halifax September 6, 2019 UK house prices climbed 1.8 per cent higher in August compared to the same time last year, Halifax’s House Price Index revealed today. That is the fastest rate of growth since April’s 2.6 per cent increase, Halifax’s figures showed. However, revisions to modernise Halifax’s measure means previous lofty growth of 4.1 per cent in July [...]
Construction industry output ‘drops like a brick’ to a decade low September 3, 2019 Britain’s construction industry suffered its sharpest decline in new work in more than a decade last month, as economic uncertainty hampered decision making among customers. New orders slumped at their worst rate since March 2009, according to closely-followed industry barometer the IHS Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which read just 40 for the category where [...]