Year of the Snake: China faces ‘short term pain for long term gain’ January 29, 2025 As China welcomes in the new year today, markets are hopeful that the government’s strategy of ‘short term pain for long term gain’ is enough to push the Chinese economy to a new stage of development. In traditional Chinese culture, the Year of the Snake embodies qualities of introspection, transformation and adaptability. That year seems fitting for 2025, as [...]
Starmer must remember humans respond to incentives, not rules January 29, 2025 Rules are important to any civilised society, but Starmer has forgotten that humans respond far better to incentives, writes Paul Ormerod.
A ski holiday in Val d’Isere is the hippest way to do the French Alps January 28, 2025 Val d’Isere has always felt hip, but a new design hotel is upping the stakes, finds Adam Bloodworth Think of a ski holiday in the Alps and a certain image springs to mind. That of impossible wealth, of royals and oligarchs resplendent in furs, of Hooray Henrys from the King’s Road necking jeroboams of rosé, [...]
Foxtons: Share price soars after London estate agent outperforms market January 28, 2025 London estate agents Foxtons has reported double digit growth driven by market share gains in both sales and lettings. Revenue in the year ended December 2024 grew 11 per cent to £163m, from £147.1m in 2023, while adjusted operating profit grew 33 per cent to £19m, from £14.3m in 2023. Its share price rose nearly [...]
Demand for buy-to-let lending boosts Paragon Bank January 24, 2025 Paragon Banking Group reported a strong start to the financial year on the back of higher lending to buy-to-let landlords.
The UK’s housing crisis is creating a generation of broke retirees January 24, 2025 The affordability crisis in the UK housing market is creating a generation who will still face monthly mortgage or rent payments well into retirement, according to a new study. With deposits increasingly hard to save up for and mortgages increasingly burdensome, few people will be free of housing costs by 2050, unless something changes. A [...]
If the Chancellor wants growth she must restore business confidence January 24, 2025 Confidence is fundamental to how businesses choose to invest and grow and at the moment it’s poor. If the Chancellor wants to turn this around she must listen to the City, says Sir Michael Snyder With the UK economy in the spotlight amid rising bond yields, high national debt, concerns over inflation and rising taxes, [...]
Luxury London hotel sale boosts profit at family empire January 23, 2025 The sale of a luxury hotel in London significantly boosted the profit of a family empire which has set its sights on further expansion across the UK. Apex Hotels, which was founded by Norman Springford, has posted a pre-tax profit of £28.4m for the year to 30 April, 2024, after selling Apex London Wall Hotel [...]
Watkin Jones: Shares in property developer soar on return to profit January 23, 2025 Shares in Watkin Jones soared more than 13 per cent on Thursday after the property developer swung to profit in 2024. The London-listed firm reported £9.2m in pre-tax profit for the year ended September, up from a £2.9m loss the year prior. Basic earnings per share also swung to 3.5p, up from a loss of [...]
Could the Bank of England push the UK into recession? January 23, 2025 As the Bank of England scrambles to unwind the disastrous effects of quantitative easing, the hidden costs of this policy are becoming clear, says Damian Pudner Quantitative easing (QE) has long been the Bank of England’s monetary policy nuclear option. Launched in 2009 to save a collapsing financial system, it was supercharged during the pandemic, [...]