Living in luxury in London… as a student? September 5, 2014 Students deserve better and they’re willing to pay for it. At least, this is what some of the country’s leading estate agents and developers are starting to realise, and they’re happy to oblige with a range of quality alternatives to traditional student digs. Gone are the days when students were expected to put up with [...]
Focus On… The City: residential is finally taking off in the Square Mile September 5, 2014 When it comes to residential developments, the Square Mile has a bit of an image problem. The ancient financial heart of the City of London has been abuzz with business for 1,000 years and it’s still graced by some of the capital’s most impressive architecture. Around 370,000 people go there to work every day, but [...]
More sign of London house price woes? Foxtons share price falls as BC Partners halves stake September 5, 2014 Foxtons may have been the darling of the London property boom, but as house price growth in the capital has fallen, so have the estate agent's shares. BC Partners, the investor that had its fingers badly burned when it bought Foxtons off founder Jon Hunt at the top of the housing market in 2007 before [...]
A screaming silence from free marketeers is jeopardising the vital EU-US trade deal September 4, 2014 The landmark free trade agreement currently being negotiated by the EU and the US has set off all kinds of noise this week, particularly after unions accused the government of failing to secure an explicit – and unnecessary – exemption for the NHS. But from the coverage in the UK, you could be forgiven for [...]
Prop-up-aganda? Chinese state media is encouraging 1.3bn people to buy more equities September 4, 2014 Policy makers in Europe and the UK are attempting to encourage equity markets through a range of fiscal measures – over in China, the government is also attempting to boost stocks, but in a slightly more pro-active manner. State-run newspapers Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily and broadcaster CCTV appear to have started [...]
Save money on your overseas transfers and payments September 4, 2014 With an expanding expat community (6 million British citizens reside overseas, by the last count) and a diverse population with global connections at home more Brits than ever before are finding it necessary to send money overseas. According to the World Bank the equivalent of more than $23 billion was transferred out of the UK [...]
Direct Line set to join FTSE 100 as Barratt slides down the list September 2, 2014 Insurer Direct Line looks set to join the coveted FTSE 100 listing this week alongside newcomer Dixons Carphone, as the FTSE committee conducts its quarterly review. The changes are likely to be announced later today and could also see homebuilder Barratt demoted out of the top 100 blue chip companies. The developer only joined the [...]
Hello, hello, hello. Who will buy London’s New Scotland Yard for £250m? September 2, 2014 New Scotland Yard has been put up for sale with a price tag of £250m in the biggest shake up of the Metropolitan Police’s estate in more than 50 years. The 1960s office block in Victoria is being sold by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) as part of a strategy to sell [...]
Property market fears have failed to dent confidence – Brand Index September 2, 2014 A decline in homeowners’ optimism about the property market has led to a fall in our monthly YouGov / Cebr Consumer Confidence Index for the first time since December 2012. However, looking at the latest set of data from our Household Economic Activity Tracker (known as Heat) suggests that consumer confidence is becoming more broad-based, [...]
City Moves for 03 September 2014 | Who’s switching jobs September 2, 2014 Alvarez & Marsal Senthil Alagar has been appointed managing director in the professional services firm’s restructuring and turnaround team in London. He joins from Barclays, where he headed its UK & Ireland business support restructuring team. Alagar has also held roles at Bank of Scotland, PwC and EY. M&G Real Estate Steven Hollands has been [...]