How to get on the housing ladder May 20, 2012 THERE is no doubt about it. It’s tough out there for first time buyers. But stricter lending criteria don’t necessarily mean it’s impossible to get on the housing ladder. However, you must know the basics so you can build your decision on strong foundations. DO THE MATHS Incentives matter. It was recently confirmed by the [...]
House prices in the capital are detached by location May 20, 2012 London’s property market is outperforming but some boroughs are well off the pace LONDON Neither London, nor England and Wales, have returned to their 2008 peaks – but London is close. From March 2009, prices have grown 16 per cent in London compared to 6 per cent in England and Wales as a whole. However, [...]
Transport and schools are key to valuations May 20, 2012 TRYING to predict where London’s house prices will go as a whole is a fools errand. The house price earnings ratio suggests property remains overvalued, but the influx of foreign cash combined with inflexible planning restrictions could see prices continue to rise. It’s easier – and more fruitful – to weigh up different areas. THE [...]
Fourth straight dip for the FTSE May 17, 2012 BRITAIN’S top share index closed below 5,400 for the first time this year yesterday, extending its falls to a fourth straight session as jitters over turmoil in the Eurozone dominated the market backdrop. Weaker banks were the biggest drag on sentiment, reflecting exposure to Eurozone debt as worries about Spanish banks and the country’s increasing [...]
Data disappoints as stocks drop May 17, 2012 US stocks hit a four-month low yesterday as rising Spanish bond yields increased investor anxiety over that country’s banks and another round of weak data undermined hopes for US economic recovery. Growing worries over developments in the Eurozone and lackluster economic data pushed the S&P’s losing streak to five consecutive days. The index, which closed [...]
Stocks sink to lowest level of 2012 after liquidity scare weighs on FTSE May 16, 2012 BRITAIN’s benchmark FTSE 100 index fell to its lowest closing level in more than four months yesterday, as new fears about the Greek banking system killed off a brief afternoon rally on the market. The FTSE 100 fell by 32.37 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 5,405.25 points – above a 5,400 point resistance level [...]
Euro fears see fourth day of falls on the S&P May 16, 2012 US stocks closed lower in a choppy session yesterday, with the S&P 500 logging its fourth straight decline as investors worried about Greece’s future as a member of the Eurozone. Early US gains were erased after the European Central Bank said it had stopped providing liquidity to some Greek banks that had not been recapitalised. [...]
Potential interim managers face a necessary dilemma May 16, 2012 ACCORDING to the Interim Management Association (IMA), the UK has the most established interim management sector in the world, worth £1.5bn per year. Established and growing – business generated by interims affiliated to the IMA increased by 93 per cent in the last five years, to £196m. Interim managers are executives with superb records of [...]
Miners help extend FTSE 100 losses as Greek talks fail May 15, 2012 BRITAIN’S top shares extended losses yesterday, led by the mining sector as the cloud looming over the Eurozone darkened after Greek politicians failed to form a government, denting sentiment and the outlook for global growth. London’s blue chip index fell 0.5 per cent to 5,437.62, adding to the previous session’s two per cent drop, with [...]
