Fifth consecutive monthly house price fall in August as more signs emerge of London market dragging September 20, 2017 London house prices recorded the biggest average fall of any region in England and Wales in August, according to new data, as the squeeze at the top end of the British property market continues. Prices in the capital grew by only 0.7 per cent in the year to August, as the average price dropped by [...]
Do rising interest rates reduce returns on income investments? September 18, 2017 Many will remember to their cost the infamous “taper tantrum” in June 2013. It was the moment Ben Bernanke, the then Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, indicated that the quantitative easing (QE) would be scaled back, or tapered. The QE programme had fed money into the financial system to stimulate the economy following the [...]
Is a UK house price crash coming? The majority of people think so, survey finds September 17, 2017 The majority of people are expecting house prices to crash as concern grows around the property market. A new survey by YouGov for the Sunday Times reveals more than half think prices will crash within the next five years. And almost a quarter say the same, but within just a two year time frame. House [...]
What needs to change about housing policy by UK property professionals ahead of party conference season September 15, 2017 Katherine McCullough, development director at Merchant Land “During the political party season, I would like to see some attention given to reviewing what Osborne’s stamp duty reforms have achieved and ideally, to have them reversed in order to help stimulate the housing market at the top end. It would also be encouraging to hear discussion [...]
Lost for words: The indie bookshop has weathered many storms, from the rise of Amazon to rising rents. But its future has never looked so perilous September 7, 2017 Prospero’s Books stood on Crouch End Broadway for 10 years. I remember it, though not well. The bookshops of my childhood memories are all vaguely similar – they were places where I’d be both happy and bored. To hear locals tell it, there wasn’t any sign that Prospero’s was in trouble. It seemed to plod [...]
London house prices: Here’s how far London house prices have fallen due to stamp duty September 7, 2017 Stamp duty has stagnated London’s housing market and pushed down prices, according to research released today. London sales volumes have fallen by seven per cent, and prices in some parts of the capital have fallen by as much as seven per cent, a report by estate agent Aston Chase has found. Read more: Jacob Rees-Mogg [...]
Twenty-one investment lessons from history September 6, 2017 Some investors give short shrift to analysis. They position portfolios to appease outside consultants, fickle clients, or their own institutional sales force. In many cases, they just buy what feels right. Other investors drown themselves in corporate road shows, insane travel schedules, monstrous spreadsheets. and detailed company reports, completely oblivious to the lessons of [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone and Douglas Barrowman on their delve into the world of cryptocurrency September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone’s delve into the world of cryptocurrency in Dubai apartment complex September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]
China bans initial coin offerings (ICOs) sending bitcoin price tumbling as central bank rules them illegal September 4, 2017 Is the ICO bubble about to burst? In China, perhaps. The country’s authorities have ruled that initial coin offerings are illegal and banning them from taking place. The Peoples’s Bank of China (PBC), the country’s central bank, and other regulating authorities have said companies raising cash via a cryptocurrency or digital token will not be [...]