Why the Trump tariffs have left the UK scrambling… April 2, 2025 Nature abhors a vacuum, or so they, or potentially Aristotle, once said. During weeks like this, it feels more accurate to say it’s the news which is doing the abhorring. Speculation has been, understandably, rampant as to the nature, variety, and impact of the tariffs the US President Donald Trump is expected to introduce on [...]
House prices continue their steady upward climb April 1, 2025 House prices continued to rise in March as easing affordability pressures – alongside the end of the stamp duty holiday – boosted demand. UK house price growth remained stable in March at 3.9 per cent, the same as in February, according to Nationwide’s house price index. “These price trends are unsurprising, given the end of [...]
UK mortgage approvals dip in February March 31, 2025 Mortgage approvals for house purchases decreased again in February as gains in consumer credit borrowing slowed down by £300m compared to January, the Bank of England said on Tuesday. House buying appeared to slow down as lenders approved around 65,500 mortgages in February, compared to some 66,100 in January. January saw a decrease of around [...]
Why are we all saving so much? March 30, 2025 It’s a question that has been puzzling economists for months. The worst of the cost-of-living crisis is, for most households, moving further into their rear-view mirror. The Bank of England’s rate setters have successfully – if belatedly – reined in the worst of the inflation that caused so many households to tighten their belts after [...]
Santander becomes first major lender to loosen mortgage rules March 28, 2025 Santander has become the first major UK lender to relax its mortgage rules following a nudge from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Homebuyers could be able to borrow an extra £35,000 on a mortgage under the changed rules. The UK’s fourth-largest mortgage lender will reduce rates on borrower’s stress tests, which are used to check [...]
House prices rise at their fastest in two years March 26, 2025 New data shows that in January, house prices rose rapidly in Northern England and Yorkshire. Average UK house prices increased by 4.9 per cent to £269,000 in the 12 months to January 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This annual growth rate is up from 4.6 per cent in the 12 months [...]
LSL Property: Profit shoots up as housing market recovers March 26, 2025 LSL Property Services, one of the UK’s largest providers of mortgage and valuation services, has reported a jump in profit amid increased activity in the housing market. LSL reported operating profit of £21.9m for the year ended December 31, up more than five-fold from £3.7m in 2023. Underlying operating profit for the full year was [...]
City regulator faces grilling on Treasury’s growth agenda March 25, 2025 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) was grilled by the Treasury Committee on Tuesday after it unveiled its new five-year strategy. Members of the committee questioned the gap between the government’s growth agenda and how the FCA was prepared to deregulate. Chair of the Treasury Committee Dame Meg Hillier, said the regulator’s structure led to it [...]
Property and the Spring Statement: Is anything going to change? March 24, 2025 Labour faces some tough choices with its Spring Statement: after increasing business taxes and public spending last autumn, the government now has to grapple with unhappy companies and a maxed-out credit card. The last budget was a mixed bag for the property market: there was widespread concern amongst landlords that the government would hike up [...]
Buy Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of Spring Statement says broker March 24, 2025 Investment bank Jefferies has said investors should ‘Buy’ shares in UK housebuilders like Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of this week’s Spring Statement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to present her Spring Statement later this week. Due to her commitment to just one major fiscal event, it was intended as an update rather than a [...]