UK house prices: Mergers, IPOs and property tech disruption – how online estate agents will change the housing market in 2016 December 22, 2015 This year has been an explosive one for the online estate agency sector. We have seen the space develop, increase in size dramatically and show that it is here to stay. It's not just a fad, as the high street so desperately claims. I believe the central plank behind the success of the online sector [...]
Spain’s national elections change the country’s political scene: lessons learnt from the Greek experience? December 22, 2015 Modest winners and losers is the mixed verdict of the Spanish elections, indicating a coalition government. So has the result anything to do with lessons learnt from Spain's debt-crisis-bedfellows, the Greeks? Spain and Greece are true Mediterranean economies, highly dependent on agriculture and tourism. Classed as two of Eurozone’s original PIIGS, they both implemented ferocious public [...]
Best of the Brokers for 22 December 2015 December 22, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BOOHOO.COM As the end of 2015 approaches, fast-fashion retailer Boohoo will be celebrating its first full year as a listed company, or perhaps taking some time for reflection following a profit warning in January. In its first coverage of the company, Shore Capital [...]
ITV and miners gain but FTSE finishes down – London Report December 22, 2015 LOSSES from Associated British Foods and Smith & Nephew during yesterday’s trading dragged the FTSE 100 index down, as ITV, Glencore, and Antofagasta surged. The UK’s top blue-chip index closed 0.29 per cent down at 6,034 points. ITV led the pack after it emerged Comcast’s NBCUniversal was reportedly bidding to takeover the home of Downton [...]
London house prices to climb five per cent in 2016, says Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors December 22, 2015 London house prices will climb five per cent next year as the shortage of homes coming to the market and rising demand lifts prices, according to a new forecast. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said prices were forecast to go up despite the launch of government initiatives to boost homebuilding. However, London price growth is [...]
Prime London residential rental growth slows to 17-month low as bank job cuts hit demand December 21, 2015 Job cuts and declining optimism at European banks has dragged rental price growth in London’s prime property market to its lowest level in 17 months, according to Knight Frank. The estate agency’s latest prime central London rental index fell by 0.4 per cent in December from the previous month, on the back of falling demand [...]
Leaving the EU is the only way Britain can regain control of its economic destiny December 21, 2015 As the referendum gets closer, we will hear lots about whether Britain could flourish economically outside the EU. On the face of it, the answer is obviously yes. Countries inside and outside show membership of the European Union is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for economic prosperity. Far more important is what happens domestically. [...]
City Moves for 21 December 2015 | Who’s switching jobs December 20, 2015 HAMPSHIRE TRUST BANK Karen Brown and John Pollington have joined Hampshire Trust Bank’s Property Finance team as directors while Daniel Norman has been appointed as Property Finance Lending Manager. Karen, who has 12 years’ property finance experience, is based in Harrogate. Prior to joining Hampshire Trust Bank she ran her own training company and before [...]
From Star Wars and the Fed rate rise and UK housing crisis to Chelsea’s crisis and Sports Direct’s working practices: Here’s what got us talking this week December 19, 2015 There were some outrageous predictions for 2016. Our homes got a bit smarter. And somewhere, floating over our heads, there was a British man in space. Here's what got us talking this week 1) We learned where you can buy a home And for those on less than £43,000, London is out of bounds. And things are [...]
It’s time for radical solutions to address London’s housing crisis December 17, 2015 As MP since 2001 for the most central London constituency, I cannot recall a time when housing issues have not dominated my postbag. No surprise, perhaps, when UK buyers compete for a limited supply of homes with a global citizenry seeking its own slice of prime London. But I have also witnessed how the polarisation [...]