Market outlook July 17, 2018 Trump trade war threat A continued world recovery, led by the US with good support from Chinese growth among the emerging markets, is a positive backdrop for share markets. The Trump tax cuts and spending increases could boost US demand and output with the upcoming earnings season in the US likely to be the strongest [...]
Thalassotherapy in Sardinia, where long-livers swear by the relaxing and healing properties of seawater | City A.M. July 17, 2018 They say the most stressful moments in a person’s life are divorce, bereavement and moving house. Thus far, I’ve managed to avoid the first two, but I went through the mortgage process for the first time this summer. Needless to say, ‘they’ were right and no ordinary beach break was going to revive the anxious, [...]
Opinion: Look behind the headlines to the data and London house price falls are nothing to worry about July 10, 2018 “Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” This refrain from Mark Twain is as true now as it ever was, especially when it comes to assessing what’s going on in the London housing market. Headlines such as “London Falling: House prices in the capital experience lowest growth since financial crisis” might have sent shivers [...]
Positive thinking on negative equity: What to do if your home is worth less than your mortgage July 4, 2018 Less than a year ago, it was all talk of bubbles in the UK housing market. But we all know that what goes up must come down, and the first signs that the market was losing steam came at the start of this year. The market continues to look skittish, with the most recent figures [...]
Park Plaza refinances London hotels in £45m deal June 28, 2018 PPHE Hotel Group has this morning announced a £45m plan to refinance four UK hotels, including two landmark London sites. The Park Plaza County Hall and the Park Plaza London Park Royal are part of the agreement, along with Park Plaza Leeds and Park Plaza Nottingham. Under the plans, Luxembourg’s Banque Hapoalim is providing the [...]
Last Week in the City: Markets Trumped by trade fears June 22, 2018 The week was dominated by trade war fears as Donald Trump said he would slap further tariffs on Chinese goods should there be any retaliatory measures. Despite this, Nasdaq hit a record high, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased all its gains in 2018 so far. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5% over the week [...]
Brexit vote two years on: seven charts that tell the story June 22, 2018 On 23 June 2016, the UK public voted on whether or not to stay in the European Union (EU). Many expected the UK to remain in the EU, but by a majority of 52% to 48% the Leave campaign won. The UK is scheduled to leave the EU at 23:00 UK time on 29 March [...]
Can slowing money growth stall markets? June 19, 2018 It’s fashionable for central banks to be more cautious in the West. TheFederal Reserve is busy putting up interest rates. Many forecast a move up from 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent this year and a further move to 3.25 per cent next year. Meanwhile, the US central bank is also reducing its own [...]
Can the UK economy cope with sustained house price falls? June 19, 2018 Brexit uncertainty is far from over. Indeed, as we approach the crunch point in negotiations over the summer, we expect rhetoric of hard Brexit and a cliff edge to reach a crescendo, before a final deal is agreed in September or October. Meanwhile, business and consumer confidence are likely to continue to suffer, causing decisions [...]
UK mortgage borrowing soared in April with £4.4bn in new lending June 14, 2018 Mortgage lending in the UK increased considerably in April, according to a report published this morning by trade association UK Finance. UK Finance’s mortgage trends report revealed that there were 26,700 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in the month, some 3.5 per cent more than in the same month a year earlier. The £4.4bn of [...]