UK house prices to ‘hold firm’ in 2020 despite Covid-19 crisis August 27, 2020 UK house prices are set to hold firm for the rest of the year despite the looming recession and rising unemployment sparked by the coronavirus crisis. Annual house price growth has been sustained at 2.5 per cent as demand continues to outstrip supply, despite fears that the pandemic would cause property values to plunge. According [...]
New Look launches restructuring plan to slash rents August 26, 2020 High street retailer New Look has asked landlords to change the way it pays rent on most of its stores in a bid to secure a £40m cash injection. The fashion chain launched a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which involves resetting 402 stores to turnover rent to align rent payments with future performance. The turnover [...]
Wall Street hits new highs again after US-China trade deal talks August 25, 2020 US markets continued their record run this evening, once again closing at new highs after the US and China reaffirmed their commitment to President Donald Trump’s much-touted trade deal. Although the gains were more modest than yesterday, the benchmark S&P 500 closed up 0.4 per cent at 3,443 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq punched up [...]
High demand for prime property leads market rebound August 24, 2020 High demand for so-called prime property has led the UK housing market’s post-lockdown rebound, new data from estate agents Knight Frank revealed today. Since markets reopened in mid-May, the UK market has surged back at a surprisingly swift pace due to the release of a tide of pent-up demand. According to the research, the biggest [...]
Technically Speaking August 18, 2020 August 1st 2012, as the trading day begins on the New York Stock Exchange, Knight Capital, the largest trader in US equities at the time, goes on a buying spree: within 45 minutes the firm buys 150 different stocks for 7 billion US dollars. There were no special circumstances to suggest such optimism – besides, [...]
Purplebricks fined £260,000 for breach of money-laundering rules August 18, 2020 Online estate agency Purplebricks has been fined more than £260,000 by HM Revenue & Customs for violating money-laundering rules. Under UK regulations implemented in 2017, estate agencies are required to ensure customers are not using their business to launder money. The legislation says estate agencies are responsible for carrying out financial checks on their clients [...]
City of London Group reports loss as subsidiary prepares for banking licence August 18, 2020 The City of London Group has reported a loss of £9.7m as its subsidiary prepares to become a fully authorised bank. In July, Recognise Financial Services reached a major milestone in its journey towards becoming a bank when the Prudential Regulation Authority issued its Total Capital Requirement letter. The figures The City of London Group [...]
Wall Street nears record highs on retail optimism as mining stocks lift FTSE 100 August 17, 2020 Wall Street edged towards record highs this afternoon on optimism about better-than-expected retail earnings as the FTSE 100 pushed higher during a subdued start to the week’s trading. The Nasdaq rose 0.68 per cent while the S&P 500 resumed its ascent towards record highs with gains of 0.29 per cent. However, the Dow Jones slipped [...]
James Bond penthouse in former MI6 headquarters on sale for £5.5m August 17, 2020 A penthouse apartment in the former MI6 headquarters that was once home to the real-life inspiration for James Bond’s boss M has gone on the market for £5.5m. The bombproof flat, located in Whitehall Court in the heart of Westminster, is part of the original London base of the Secret Intelligence Service. It also served [...]
UK housing market surges in busiest month in 10 years August 17, 2020 Brits have turned to home-buying to fill the summer holiday void post-lockdown as the UK housing market’s “mini-boom” accelerated in August. Rightmove’s latest house price index released today reveals the highest number of monthly sales in more than 10 years in August. It is up by 20 per cent on the previous high, and with [...]