Bond yields in the developed world hit a record low – even the EU referendum won’t stop them falling June 6, 2016 Bond yields across the advanced world have touched a record low. The fall comes as the US looks set to delay its next interest rate hike, the effects of quantitative easing and negative interest rates continue to take hold and political uncertainty mounts. The yield on Bloomberg's global developed sovereign bond index dropped to 0.62 per cent – [...]
David Cameron warns of mortgage rise if Britain votes for Brexit June 5, 2016 David Cameron has warned that mortgages could rise for millions of homeowners if Britain votes to leave the EU. The Prime Minister has said average repayments could rise by nearly £1,000 a year because leaving Europe could lead to tighter credit controls as well as pushing up interest rates. But the claim has been called "desperate" [...]
Why the mortgage market is due to be shaken up by the tech revolution June 3, 2016 Scaling the housing ladder can feel like climbing Everest and nowhere more so than in the capital. From saving every penny for a first deposit, to scouring the tube map for the next undiscovered, reasonably priced gem, the affordability challenges are well documented. But there are other unnecessary challenges driven by an outdated industry that [...]
Homemover loan applications had the highest success rate for mortgage approvals in the first quarter June 2, 2016 Homemover loan applications registered the highest success rate for converting mortgage applications into completed deals in the first quarter, according to the Intermediary Mortgage Lenders Association (IMLA). The IMLA data shows that 80 per cent of homemover applications resulted in an offer and the same percentage of offers led to a deal. Read more: Nearly two out [...]
You’ll probably live far longer than you think – and the implications are huge June 2, 2016 What is the most important number you can think of? Your bank balance? Your mortgage? US GDP or the FTSE 100? All of these are important but the one number you should be very focused on is a guess of your own life expectancy. Get that wrong and the chances are you will get a [...]
UK mortgage lending dropped to its lowest level since the height of the eurozone crisis in April June 1, 2016 Mortgage approvals have hit their lowest level since the height of the Eurozone crisis, according to the Bank of England. Mortgage loans totaled just £281m in April, their lowest level since August 2012, after the hike in stamp duty came into effect at the beginning of the month and buy to let landlords fled the [...]
House price growth falls to its lowest since October 2015 as stamp duty changes take their toll June 1, 2016 Have George Osborne's changes to house prices had their desired effect? House price growth fell in May, to its lowest since October last year – suggesting things could be about to look up for those struggling to move up the property ladder. Nationwide's House Price Index showed prices rose 1.3 per cent to £204,368 in the [...]
Number of buy-to-let investors breaks through 1.75m barrier, though fears of a slowdown in the second half of the year persist May 30, 2016 The number of buy-to-let investors in the UK has broken through the 1.75m barrier for the first time, up by seven per cent over the last year. Not only are numbers of investors up but they're making more money as well. The net income – rental income minus all costs – of these investors increased by eight [...]
EU referendum: Here’s the “positive case” for staying in the EU, according to David Cameron May 27, 2016 When David Cameron set the date for the EU referendum back in February, he told the world you’d never catch him talking down Britain. A few months, some close opinion polls and a two slightly dodgy dossiers of Treasury analysis later, and that “positive case” for staying in the EU seems a distant memory. “Project Fear” [...]
House prices are growing faster in Cambridge than in London May 27, 2016 If you've ever worried about getting on the housing ladder in London, spare a thought for the people of Cambridge. House prices in Britain's 20 biggest cities are showing double-digit growth in April – and prices in the commuter city of Cambridge are growing faster than in London. A report from Hometrack says that London house [...]