Property firm LMSL teams up with crowdfunding platform to launch £9m east London bond September 8, 2015 A property investor is offering small retail investors the chance to buy a slice of east London property after launching a £9m mini-bond via crowdfunding platform CrowdBnk. LMSL Group, which owns 160 rental properties in east London worth around £52m, said it aims to raise at least £9m to plough back into the ongoing regeneration [...]
Chinese dragon needs to regain its fire: Falling competitiveness could be the hidden force behind the slowdown September 8, 2015 China's unravelling has had repercussions all over the world, from the $3 trillion (£1.96 trillion) wiped off global stock markets in the space of days, to fears of deflation in the UK and currency devaluations in places as distinct as Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The Shanghai stock market – which is down 40 per cent [...]
Russia is not interested in joining Opec September 7, 2015 Russia has no plans to join the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), an oil-producing cartel of mostly Middle Eastern countries, according the to boss of a major Russian energy company. “Opec has lost its influence as a key market regulator, [there’s] no interest for Russia to join,” said Igor Sechin, chief executive of state-owned [...]
Prime central London house price growth at its lowest in five years thanks to China and stamp duty September 7, 2015 Prices of homes in some of London's most exclusive areas grew at their lowest in more than five years in August, new figures have suggested. The Prime Central London Sales Index, by upmarket estate agent Knight Frank, has found annual house price growth dropped to 1.7 per cent in August, the lowest rate since November [...]
UK housing supply shortage makes Britain a hotspot for residential property investors September 6, 2015 Britain’s housing shortage combined with the country’s strong economic growth has made it the fourth best place in the world if you are looking to park cash in residential property. The UK housing market, which has seen prices climb by 20 per cent over the past five years, was ranked behind only the US, [...]
China’s real crisis: It may never become a rich country September 6, 2015 I thought I smelled a rat. As I have often told my European colleagues – fond as they are of conspiracy theories about American foreign policy – they have the wrong Shakespeare play in mind: America is more Hamlet than Macbeth. By that I mean that, whereas outsiders to the policy world often assume great [...]
London won’t dominate forever: These are the top five international finance centres of the future September 4, 2015 London won't dominate forever: These are the top five international finance centres of the future Every market's success depends on financial stability, infrastructure development, taxation and economic strength. At the moment, western cities such as New York and London dominate as international financial centres, but increasingly hotspots are emerging in the developing world and [...]
Night Tube series: Top seven places to buy a house in London along the Jubilee Line September 4, 2015 With the Night Tube delayed for the time being, now is the best time to consider buying in an area that’s set to benefit from it. Research shows that when new transport links come in, house prices only rise once the trains start running so it’s worth taking a punt before the asking prices shoot [...]
EU migrant crisis: Accepting more refugees is not just the right thing to do – it’d be good for us too September 3, 2015 Most people think that we have a duty to help refugees fleeing totalitarianism or war, wherever they come from. Our sense of duty, however, is tempered by concerns that taking too many refugees will harm us, or that some are merely economic migrants. But these costs are overstated. Though, in general, the evidence [...]
UK house prices: Why buyer activity, proximity to Chrismas and the end of school holidays mean today’s the best day to sell your home September 3, 2015 If you're planning on putting your property on the market, get going – because research suggests today, aka 2 September, is the best day of the year to sell your home. According to online estate agent Emoov. now schools have gone back, prospective buyers' minds are turning to the great property search. The research found [...]