Florida: the key to a valuable holiday home investment September 23, 2014 Although recent weeks have seen sterling weaken against the dollar there is still potential for great returns when searching for a holiday home in the Sunshine State. Kelly Cutchin, Moneycorp U.S. country manager, shares an insight into the property market and tips for those considering property investment in Florida: “The most popular locations for British [...]
Labour’s misdiagnosis: A larger state is not the way to raise living standards September 23, 2014 To paraphrase the economist John Maynard Keynes, Ed Miliband’s speech yesterday to the Labour Party conference was an extraordinary example of how, starting with a mistake, a remorseless logician can end in Bedlam. For Miliband, the market has failed to deliver rising prosperity, and it is now time for big government to get back in [...]
London house prices make it the world’s most expensive city September 23, 2014 London is the world's most expensive city, according to a new report. High property costs (the average price just went over £500,000 according to the ONS), high transports costs and expensive drinks have long been the bane of Londoners, and now a new report from Savills, an estate agent, has calculated London to top its [...]
Labour Party Conference: Critics slam Miliband’s mansion tax plans September 23, 2014 Ed Miliband today confirmed Labour's plans to introduce a "mansion tax" on homes worth more than £2m – but his plans have already met with criticism. Nick Leeming, chairman of national estate agents Jackson-Stops & Staff, has dubbed it the "Downton Abbey view of politics" claiming it is "distorting" the view of who owns homes [...]
Ed Miliband’s conference speech: Here’s what you need to know September 23, 2014 Ed Miliband has delivered his last speech to a Labour conference before the 2015 general election. The Labour leader hopes his six-point plan will be enough to entice voters to give his party the keys to Downing Street and reverse his low personal ratings. The plan is intended to be implemented over 10 years. Here [...]
Mapped: Which Phones 4u stores are being shut down? September 23, 2014 PricewaterhouseCoopers has revealed the addresses of the 360-plus Phones 4u stores that are being shut down, and the number of staff being made redundant as the business is wound down. At this stage 1,679 people will lose their jobs, with a further 720 people staying on to help with the wind down. Some [...]
British Land sells just 18 flats for total of £210m September 22, 2014 PROPERTY developer British Land has sold some of the most expensive London property ever, with 18 apartments in Mayfair going for £210m. Four of the flats sold for over £5,000 per sq ft, a record for Mayfair’s property market. The so-called “super-prime” property, Clarges Mayfair, was acquired by British Land for £129.6m in 2012 and [...]
Why the tide is against the iron ore mining giants – CNBC Comment September 22, 2014 Mining firms have put on a brave face over the past 18 months. I warned last year that the super-cycle had popped, despite the largesse still being exhibited by the industry in the mining hub of Perth. Since then, billions of dollars have been extracted from cost savings, economies of scale are being wielded to [...]
Six charts showing why the UK needs to build more homes September 22, 2014 The housing market is hotly watched recently with prices rising and demand under constant observation. There were 21.9 per cent fewer house completions in England during 2013/14 than there were in 2003/4, while demand for house in London has driven the average price north of £500,000. These are just some of the results of analysis [...]
Ed Balls: Walking away from Europe would be a “disaster” for Britain September 22, 2014 Shadow chancellor Ed Balls courted the business vote this afternoon, emphasising Labour's commitment to improving Britain's relationship with Europe. During a speech at the party's annual conference today, he said: “We need reform immigration rules and build alliances with Europe so that it works better for Britain. Walking away from Europe would be a [...]