Mortgage approvals bounce back after two-year low March 30, 2026 Mortgage approvals have bounced back after slumping to a two-year low last month, suggesting the property market was regaining momentum before the Iran war shocked global markets. The number of approved mortgages for house purchases increased to 62,600 in February, up from the two-year low of 60,200 in January, according to the Bank of England. [...]
FTSE 100 Live: Dollar dips amid Trump oil threats; motor finance decision expected March 30, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. In a fresh escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, Donald Trump has said that he wants to “take the oil in Iran”, with the US dollar taking a hit this morning. In an interview with the Financial Times, the US President said that [...]
Housebuying demand falls as Iran war spikes mortgage rates March 30, 2026 Housebuying demand has fallen as Brits take a “wait and see” approach after the Iran war spiked mortgage rates and prompted lenders to take hundreds of deals off the market. Buyer enquiries were 13 per cent lower in March than a year ago, as mortgage rates climbed by an average of 0.4 per cent over [...]
Is Rachel Reeves actually to blame for the ‘Truss crash’? March 26, 2026 After years of blaming the 'Truss crash' on tax cuts, Rachel Reeves has finally gestured to the real problem – her own instinct to overspend, writes Tom Harwood.
London house prices drop again as market faces fresh headwinds March 25, 2026 House prices in London have fallen for the sixth consecutive month, as the capital’s property market continues to struggle compared to the rest of the country. The average house price in the capital fell by 1.7 per cent in the year to January, up from the 1.2 per cent year-on-year fall in December, according to [...]
‘Mortgage mayhem’: Banks’ rates soar past 5.5 per cent amid Iran war volatility March 25, 2026 The UK mortgage market has been flipped upside down with Brits facing higher prices to borrow in the short-term as the Iran war rattles the economy. The average five-year fixed deal for a homeowner has spiked to 5.54 per cent this morning, up from 4.95 per cent at the start of March, according to financial [...]
Housebuilding stocks slump as Bellway issues Iran mortgage warning March 24, 2026 Shares in Bellway slumped eight per cent after it warned the Iran war is causing mortgage “volatility,” as a host of leading housebuilders were dragged down with it. FTSE 100 housebuilders Barratt Redrow, Berkeley and Persimmon were all down at least one per cent on Tuesday’s early trading, with the latter taking a two per [...]
Mortgage deals shrink by a fifth since outbreak of Iran war March 23, 2026 The number of mortgage deals on offer for homeowners have shrunk by nearly a fifth since war broke out in Iran just over three weeks ago. Just shy of 1,500 fewer residential mortgages were available on Monday morning, compared with March 9, amounting to a contraction of 19.5 per cent. According to financial information platform [...]
Iceland boss calls for profit cap on energy firms as prices surge March 22, 2026 Richard Walker has urged the government to consider imposing a temporary cap on energy company profits, warning that households risk bearing the brunt of another price shock linked to the Middle East conflict. The Iceland boss, recently appointed as a Labour peer and cost of living adviser, said ministers should examine limiting earnings for producers [...]
Fortress prepares to offload Majestic Wine March 21, 2026 The owner of Britain’s biggest specialist wine retailer are drawing up plans to offload the retailer nearly seven years after its operations were bought out of its London-listed company. Fortress Investment Group is in the early stages of preparing to launch a sale of Majestic Wine, which it took control of in 2019, according to [...]