Save money when buying overseas October 31, 2014 Whether it’s a villa in the sun-kissed Côte d'Azur, a chalet in the Alps or a pied-à-terre in Paris, France has long been a favourite destination for second home owners. And that desire shows no sign of abating, as trends in the French capital are showing: “In Paris, foreign buyers are now accounting for nearly [...]
New data shows housing market is slowing down October 30, 2014 HOUSE price growth continued to slow down in October, adding to the view that the market is experiencing a broad-based cooling. Prices grew by nine per cent year-on-year in October, according to figures released yesterday by Nationwide. Although the annual growth is high, it is slower than the 11.8 per cent seen in June when [...]
UK house prices rise 0.5 per cent in October, but longer-term trend is slowing October 30, 2014 Are house prices rocketing or is their growth slowing? It's getting confusing – according to Nationwide, the unpredictable UK housing market rose in October, with prices up 0.5 per cent month on month, after they fell 0.1 per cent in September. But the annual figure, a more reliable measure, slowed to nine per cent. As [...]
As QE ends in the US, has it changed the world for the better? October 29, 2014 Sam Bowman, research director at the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Many people, including me, expected QE to cause uncontrollable inflation and end in disaster. How wrong we were. The US and the UK, which did QE, are growing healthily. The Eurozone, which didn’t, is in ruins. QE helps to keep nominal spending steady during [...]
Mortgage approvals fall to lowest level since July 2013 October 29, 2014 Mortgage approvals have fallen to a 16-month low, adding further weight to the argument that the housing market is slowing down. Lenders approved just 61, 267 mortgages in September, figures published by the Bank of England revealed this morning, continuing the decline from a peak at the start of this year. In total, [...]
Deutsche Bank share price stays flat despite €92m loss on legal costs October 29, 2014 Deutsche Bank has posted a net losses of €92m (£72.6m) for the three months to the end of September, with pre-tax income of €266m. The third-quarter loss stems from the legal costs of settling a number of investigations, and compares to a €51m profit during the same period last year. Alleged misconduct by [...]
London house prices: Year-long boom comes to an end October 28, 2014 London house prices fell steeply in September, following a year of exceptional gains across each of the capital’s boroughs. Data published yesterday by the Land Registry shows London house prices fell 0.7 per cent in just one month. However, prices are still elevated; they are 18.4 per cent higher compared with September 2013. The price [...]
Land Registry: UK house prices have fallen 0.2 per cent since August October 28, 2014 UK house prices have fallen since August, data published by the Land Registry today showed, offering further evidence of a cooling market. The Land Registry, which uses price paid data as opposed to asking prices, said prices have fallen 0.2 per cent since August, despite rising 7.2 per cent in the year to September. [...]
Eurozone’s latest bond buying gambit gets off to a slow start October 27, 2014 THE EUROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) bought €1.7bn (£1.34bn) worth of bonds last week as it began its new purchase programme, data published yesterday reveals. The rate of purchases is slow. It would take at least six years for the ECB’s balance sheet to reach the size it was during 2012 – a target ECB president Mario [...]
How shared ownership can help get Londoners on the housing ladder October 22, 2014 The Scottish Parliament has set out plans to levy its first tax since 1707. In an effort to support first time buyers, it proposed reforming stamp duty into a marginal – rather than a “slab” – tax, meaning that house sales in Scotland will no longer incur the highest rate on the whole price. These [...]