Gaming giant Embracer snaps up Lord of the Rings rights in bargain deal August 18, 2022 In a clear defiance to the slowing M&A landscape, Embracer Group has snapped up the intellectual property rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works, as well as five other firms in a £645.7m deal.
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? August 18, 2022 A roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Allen & Overy Law firm Allen and Overy has announced a new partner to lead its India Corporate practice. Harsh Pais joins A&O after an 11-year stint as a partner at Indian firm Trilegal, where he co-headed the [...]
Inflation overshoot spooks investors as FTSE 100 house builders tumble August 17, 2022 London markets were shaken today by concerns that inflation is firming in the UK as housebuilders suffered heavy losses on the prospect of more rate hikes. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index dropped 0.27 per cent lower to 7,515.75 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of [...]
UK house prices and rents defy inflation and continue to rise August 17, 2022 Despite rising inflation, housing prices have continued to grow since last year, official figures have revealed. In June, the average UK house price was £286,000, a £20,000 increase on last year, according to the latestfigures from the Office for National Statistics today. In London, house prices have seen 6.3 per cent growth in the last [...]
Persimmon hands £750m to shareholders so far this year August 17, 2022 Persimmon, one of the UK’s largest housebuilders, has handed £750m to shareholders since the beginning of this year as the country’s housing market booms. The average selling price of a home has grown by a little under £10,000 over the past 12-months. “House prices have proved remarkably robust since the pandemic began, buoyed by pent-up [...]
UK competition watchdog closes case against Barratt over leasehold homes August 16, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog has closed a case against one of the country’s largest housebuilders Barratt over its sale of leasehold homes. In a statement today, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that “it was insufficient to support a clear legal case for the CMA to secure collective redress for Barratt leaseholders under its [...]
A summer break in Finland, counting thousands of tiny islands as they drift past August 15, 2022 Sitting down to dinner in what was once Finland’s most dangerous prison wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I embarked on a recent Scandinavian sojourn. But soon after touching down I learn that the city of Turku’s penchant for experimental dining is fast turning the place into Finland’s culinary capital. It’s all too [...]
House prices continue to climb in nightmare scenario for first-time buyers even though buyer interest is slowing August 15, 2022 House prices continue to move firmly upwards and are still expected to be higher in a year’s time, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) this afternoon. The numbers are somewhat surprising given that surveyors have seen the longest stretch of shrinking buyer demand in the housing market since the early stages of [...]
Abrdn’s Asian Income Fund loses 6.9 per cent of value as APAC markets suffer August 15, 2022 Asset management giant Abrdn said the value of the assets controlled by its Asia Income Fund plunged 6.9 per cent over the first half of 2022 as markets were rocked by a combination of Covid lockdowns and the ripples of war in Ukraine. In its half yearly report today, the firm said net asset value [...]
Estate agencies have under 40 available properties on their books on average, says RICS August 15, 2022 The UK’s housing stock levels are close to all-time lows, according to the latest research, which has kept house prices suspended at levels which outpace annual wages. On average, estate agents have just 36 available properties on their books, the RICS Housing Market Survey revealed today. The average cost of a home remains at swollen [...]