Upbeat mood for regional office activity The regional office investment market remains upbeat, according to the latest quarterly update from Avison Young, after office demand across the ‘Big Nine’ returned to ‘normal’ activity in H2 2021. A strong second half brought the year’s total take-up across the Big Nine cities to 8.1 million sq. ft, […]
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Residential Property Review – February 2022
Promising signs in the UK housing market Following a record-breaking 2021, continuing strong numbers of agreed sales and approved mortgages suggest transactions are likely to stay high over the next few months. Net mortgage debt by individuals decreased slightly to £3.6bn in December 2021, according to the Bank of England. However, agreed sales and approved […]
News in Review
“GDP grew robustly across the fourth quarter as a whole” With the dust settling on the recent rise in Bank Rate and an increase in springtime inflation expectations, some positive news was released at the tail end of last week in the form of Q4 GDP data. The official statistics from the Office for National […]
The fine print of home insurance T&Cs
Few people enjoy reading the fine details of insurance terms and conditions. However, failing to do so can leave you with insufficient cover or, in the worst cases, the wrong type altogether. Cost, time or font? A fifth of UK adults admit to not checking the T&Cs before taking out insurance. The explanations are varied: […]
Climate disclosures top corporate agendas in 2022
Regulators have been urged by the IMF to do more to prevent financial companies from making misleading claims concerning their environmental credentials – ‘Proper regulatory oversight and verification mechanisms are essential to avoid greenwashing.’ To achieve the expansion needed to reach the target of reducing worldwide carbon emissions to net zero by mid-century, will require […]
Making savings for your children work
Many parents are keen to give their children a flying start financially by putting aside money throughout their childhood. Mums have been shown to be more likely to take the lead in this area, with most savings being held in cash products, such as cash Junior Individual Savings Accounts (JISAs) or premium bonds. Mum’s the […]
News in Review
“I’m afraid we do have to raise Bank Rates… This is a lot of pressure on households” Financial announcements came thick and fast last week, impacting household budgets and living standards for millions across the UK. As anticipated by many economic commentators, on Thursday the Monetary Policy Committee voted to increase Bank Rate from 0.25% […]
Have you been ‘catfished’ by a property?
Not all prospective homebuyers will be familiar with ‘catfishing’ – a term from the online dating world to describe a person who presents themselves differently online to how they are in person. But a lot of them have suffered the catfishing experience at property viewings. New word, familiar trend A recent survey1 of homebuyers suggested […]
Consumers and investors tune in to tackle climate change
More than half (57%) of consumers want their pension to be invested responsibly to help tackle climate change, but only one in seven people who have a pension have taken steps to invest it responsibly1. Climate change and the environment are bigger concerns for most people than COVID-19 or the economy, according to a new […]
News in Review
“The economy has recovered more quickly than expected, creating a growth dividend for the Treasury” Some interesting data was released last week, which prompted speculation as to the Chancellor’s intentions regarding the rise in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) in April. The data showed that government borrowing reached nearly £17bn in December; despite this being the […]