Real Estate: COVID-19 may permanently quarantine inflexible leases May 5, 2020 Real estate leases have long represented a point of disagreement between accountants and financial analysts. This disagreement was the primary reason why the London-headquartered International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) went separate ways in finalising lease accounting standards. Figure 1. Lease Accounting Survey Report (October 2013) For a [...]
Government announces £617m grants for small businesses in shared spaces May 3, 2020 The government today announced a further £617m in grants for small companies that work in shared spaces and are not eligible for business rates relief. The departner for business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) said the fund is aimed at small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs. Beis said it was asking local authorities to [...]
Coronavirus lockdown: More Londoners consider moving out of capital May 2, 2020 Estate agents have seen an uptick in Londoners considering moving out of the capital as city-dwellers seek more green space and enjoy working from home during the coronavirus lockdown. The latest research by Rightmove showed there has been an increase in Londoners searching for properties outside of the city during the coronavirus lockdown. In total [...]
Credit card lending fell for the first time in March May 1, 2020 UK consumers’ credit card debt fell for the first time since records began in March, as lockdown measures froze spending. The annual growth rate of credit card lending fell to minus 0.3 per cent, the first negative annual growth since the Bank of England (BoE) started tracking the data. The annual growth rate of other [...]
UK house prices: Experts predict sharp recovery after coronavirus lockdown May 1, 2020 UK house prices could rebound after the coronavirus lockdown eases, after they grew at the fastest pace since 2017 before the crisis, Nationwide said today. The value of British homes grew at their fastest rate since February 2017 before the coronavirus lockdown brought the market crashing to a halt, Nationwide data released today showed. UK [...]
Three lessons law firms can learn from rivals’ collapses amid coronavirus April 30, 2020 Law firm collapses are a lot like bank runs. Confidence in the institution crumbles, causing partners to rush for the exits – taking their capital and clients with them. Partner departures reduce the firm’s revenue, profit and capital, leading to further partner exits in a destructive feedback loop. Once firms enter this death spiral it [...]
Facebook earnings: Shares leap despite lowest growth since 2012 April 30, 2020 Facebook’s shares jumped almost 10 per cent in after hours trading following a surprisingly upbeat set of first quarter results from the tech giant. Following Alphabet’s figures earlier this week, all eyes were on Facebook to see how the Covid-19 crisis has hit social media. Here are three key takeaways from the numbers: 1. The [...]
Westminster approves £150m Cavendish Square health hub underneath Oxford Street April 29, 2020 Developers have today been given the green light for a £150m plan to transform Cavendish Square into a subterranean health and wellness hub. Property firm Reef Group has outlined proposals to turn a 1960s car park below the Georgian square in the West End into specialist facilities for the healthcare sector, as well as premium [...]
A new economic era beckons after this crisis April 29, 2020 Current events likely mark a turning point in economic policy and the end of a 40-year spell of free market capitalism. Nobody can know how long the Covid-19 crisis will last, but I think that regardless of this it will mark a profound long-term change in economic policy. It is likely a turning point in [...]
There is hope amidst the despair in hospitality if pragmatism wins out April 28, 2020 One is forgiven for being a little bleak about the prospects of the hospitality industry at the moment. There is a general view amongst restaurant operators that the rest of 2020 will essentially be a write off in terms of trading. Reopening of food and beverage (F&B) businesses this year will be slow, gradual and [...]