Thursday, March 31, 2005 
BBC NEWS | Business | Average incomes 'fell last year' Average household incomes have fallen for the first time in a decade, says the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
Guardian: Nationwide records biggest house price fall in decade UK house prices suffered their biggest fall for nearly a decade this month, Nationwide revealed today.
Reuters.co.uk: Sharp fall in house prices British house prices have fallen at their sharpest rate in nearly a decade in March, the Nationwide Building Society has said, just five weeks before an expected general election
ThisIsMoney : House prices fall at fastest rate in 10 years House prices are falling at their fastest rate in 10 years, according to mortgage lender Nationwide. The UK's largest building society said average values fell 0.6% in March.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Bloomberg.com: U.K. Retail Sales Index Fell to -9 Percent in March An index of U.K. retail sales fell to a six-month low in March, adding to evidence of weakening consumer spending and boosting the chance the Bank of England will leave interest rates on hold in coming months.
BBC NEWS | Business | Spending slowdown hits retailers UK retail sales fell at their fastest pace for six months in March as bad weather and jitters ahead of the recent Budget hit trading, the CBI says.
Move Channel: Tax banding checker website opens Welsh council tax payers could save up to nine million pounds by appealing against new council tax bands said a property website this week.
BBC NEWS | Business | NAB to cut 1,700 jobs at UK banks National Australia Bank is to cut about 1,700 jobs at its two UK operations in a move to save £117m ($220m) a year.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
BBC NEWS | Business | UK housing market 'bottoming out' The number of mortgages approved rose to their highest level for four months in February, new figures show.
ThisisLondon: Slump in house prices House prices in some parts of London have fallen by six per cent in the last year, new figures reveal today.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Latest Business News and Financial Information | Reuters.co.uk: "House prices in England and Wales have fallen at their slowest pace in six months, research company Hometrack says, adding to mounting evidence that the housing market may be stabilising. "
BBC NEWS | Business | Spring bloom for property market UK house prices slowed down slightly in March, enough to lure more house hunters back to the market, according to the latest Hometrack survey.
Telegraph | Money | Prime London property prices on the rise Property prices in prime areas of London have risen for the first time in eight months as brokers report a record number of mortgage applications in the £1m-plus bracket
Sunday, March 27, 2005
SMH (AUS): Bargains galore as house prices plunge A list of more than 400 of Sydney's bargain homes is available in the print edition. Sydney house hunters looking for quality properties have never been so spoilt for choice.
The Observer | Business | When 'winner' loses all in the housing market House hunters are searching for bargains this weekend. But price discounts offered by anxious sellers will not save today's buyers from walking into the negative equity trap.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Guardian: House prices reflect best schools Parents with brainy teenagers live in areas of England and Wales where house prices are 12% higher than average, research showed.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Times: Short-sighted homeowners face a nasty dose of reality Lots of people are getting anxious about their debts. Or so say the chief executives at mortgage lenders who see this as a major cause of the housing market slowdown.
Scotsman.com Business - Retail - A tough year in store as UK spending slows TEMPERATURES may feel more spring-like, but few big names on the high street are blossoming.
BBC NEWS | Business | Pakistanis riot as shares plunge Pakistani investors rioted at the Karachi Stock Exchange on Thursday after they were prevented from selling their shares as markets fell.
Thursday, March 24, 2005
ThisisLondon: Interest rate rise may be looming Bank of England Governor Mervyn King today fuelled speculation that interest rates could rise as soon as May, predicting High Street spending will recover from current depressed levels.
Times: Slide in spending growth lifts hopes for rate hold An abrupt slowdown in consumer spending in the closing months of last year has boosted hopes that interest rates will stay on hold, at least until after an expected May election.
Aberdeen Independent: When will the bubble burst? Until now, trying to forecast an end to Britain's long economic boom has been a thankless task left largely to Tory Shadow Chancellors of the Exchequer – who lost their jobs when doomsday predictions proved unfounded, writes Jeremy Gates.
Interactive Investor: BoE's King cautions about making hasty verdict on UK consumer spending The Bank of England's governor Mervyn King cautioned about making
judgements just yet about the state of UK consumer spending, even though
official figures showed consumption growth in the fourth quarter slowing to
below its two-year average.
icNewcastle: Highest council tax in country Council taxpayers in the North-East will face higher bills than anywhere else in the country, Government figures revealed yesterday.
BBC: Bank voted 7-2 for no rate change The decision to keep interest rates on hold again at 4.75% earlier this month was passed 7-2 by the Bank of England's rate-setting body, minutes have shown.
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Reuters.co.uk: Retailers warn of cooling consumer demand A clutch of retailers says that consumer demand has waned, reinforcing signs the long-running spending boom may be running out of steam.
Independent: Coming out of the cold Now could be the time to buy in Bulgaria, but buyers should study all the potential risks, advises Graham Norwood
Croydon Guardian: Fancy joining in a property venture? The BBC is looking for would-be homeowners in Kingston to take part in a series of programmes to help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder by co-owning their homes.
Gay.com: Property prices driving gay couples to the coast A new study conducted by the University of Brighton has revealed the UK's top cities for lesbian and gay couples, with some surprising findings.
Wanadoo: House prices soar as spring approaches Asking prices for new homes are soaring towards record levels – but are estate agents deliberately pushing up prices, and will the house price boom continue into summer?
ThisIsMoney: Call for higher tax on second homes People who own UK holiday homes should be forced to pay more tax to help subsidise the spiralling cost of housing in rural areas.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Telegraph: One in five families 'unable to pay debts' One in five families with children has debts that it cannot pay, according to the National Statistics' annual social trends report published today.
ThisIsMoney: BoE guru warns of house price crash The Bank of England's property expert yesterday warned there was still a chance that house prices may crash.
Guardian: Property prices 'overvalued by 20%' Britain's house prices are overvalued by almost 20%, according to a study published yesterday.
ThisIsMoney: Top price deals spur property slump fears Fears are mounting that a slump is on the way in commercial property prices after a wave of big building sales by seasoned developers bagging massive profits.
Belfast Telegraph: Big fall in number intimidated into selling homes Threats and intimidation have forced 120 Ulster homeowners to sell their properties to the Housing Executive within the last 12 months - the lowest number in five years, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.
Interactive Investor: Dollar near 20-day euro highs ahead of expected Fed rate hike The dollar remained near 20-day highs against the euro on
speculation the US Federal Reserve will warn of higher inflation risks in the
statement accompanying tonight's expected quarter-point interest rate rise.
Guardian: Inflation remains unchanged Inflation remained unchanged in February for the third consecutive month, official figures showed today, quashing speculation that a rise in fuel costs would push the figure up.
BBC NEWS | Business | Bank of Ireland to cut 2,100 jobs Bank of Ireland is to cut 2,100 jobs in Ireland and the United Kingdom as part of a cost-cutting drive fuelled by increased competition.
Monday, March 21, 2005
BBC NEWS | Business | Oil higher on Nigeria strike fear Oil prices have risen on fears of a Nigerian oil strike, exceeding $57 a barrel in early afternoon trade.
Find a Property: Blooming House Prices For Award Winning Towns With spring in the air, Halifax Estate Agents have been busy trying to find out whether towns and cities with award-winning landscaping also have blooming house prices...
Edinburgh Evening News: Supply and demand There are many reasons why Edinburgh has a shortage of affordable housing. Property prices have escalated in recent years and while growth has slowed, the average house price remains far beyond the means of those on average incomes; there has been an increasing shortage of housing for rent and the right-to-buy policy has left the city council with only the more difficult properties.
National Association of Estate Agents: Easter revival on the cards The housing market remained flat last month according to data released today by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA).
9news.com (US): Fed prepares for another rate increase As Federal Reserve policymakers gather here Tuesday, one of the biggest questions on economists' minds is how much longer it will be before U.S. central bankers take a breather.
ThisIsMoney: House Prices - Vote Now What change in house prices do you expect in the next 12 months?
ThisIsMoney: Estate agents 'trying it on' again Asking prices for UK homes continued to rise last month even though there is now a glut of properties on the market and many sellers' expectations are 'over-optimistic', new research revealed today.
Reuters.co.uk: House price inflation cools Asking prices on homes rose 0.6 percent from mid-February to mid-March, even as another flood of new properties again came on to a market burdened with "over-supply", property website Rightmove says.
ThisisLondon: BBC staff braced for details of new job cuts The BBC is today expected to reveal details of which departments will be affected by plans to axe 1,500 jobs in a second wave of cuts.
UK Insurance: House prices in flood areas could fall 80% Insurers blacklist properties in some flood-prone areas, which could make them unsaleable. Up to 200,000 homes at high risk of flooding could be blacklisted by insurers and lose 80% of their value.
Guardian: Property website warns of glut in housing market Traditional Easter house selling is under way, according to figures from property website Rightmove.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Sunday Times: Brown in £35 billion tax hikeTaxes will go up by £35 billion over the next four years under Labour, according to Gordon Brown's own figures.
Independent: Home loans at 7-year low as market nerves growMortgage lending fell sharply during February, banks and building societies said yesterday, the latest evidence that the housing market slowdown is continuing.
Scotsman.com: Buy-to-let market is a tale of two citiesThe buy-to-let market appears to be moving in different directions in Edinburgh and Glasgow, according to a leading player in the sector.
The Independent: Housing market 'could slip into danger zone' The odds on a repeat of the 1990s crash in UK house prices could be as high as one in four, according to the investment bank Lehman Brothers.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
in2perspective: Chancellor's extra costs may stop trading Chancellor Gordon Brown’s re-imposition of Stamp Duty for property disposals in disadvantaged areas may have a two-fold impact on the property investment market within the city, King Sturge said this morning.
Scotsman.com: Top Scots schools send house prices spiralling Scotland's top schools are helping to boost house prices in their catchment areas, a survey has revealed.
CNN (US): How are individuals affected when the Federal Reserve raises interest rates? First, let's get one thing straight. The Federal Reserve does not raise or lower interest rates. Not even Fed chairman Alan Greenspan has that much power.
Moneyextra : It's all going flat in the mortgage market Total gross lending in February remained flat at £17.2 billion, according to the latest data from the CML (Council of Mortgage Lenders) - this set against January's figure of £17.3 billion and 18% lower than in February last year (£21.1 billion).
Times: House prices foil inheritance tax tinkering The average homeowner will fall foul of inheritance tax (IHT) rules in just 12 years’ time because of rocketing house prices, a leading financial adviser fears.
Guardian: The change that will make some grin up north This weekend many house-hunters will be pressing their noses up against estate agent windows and pounding the streets in search of their ideal home.
The Independent: When the buyers just won't budge... ... it's time for sellers to rethink the marketing of their property.
Friday, March 18, 2005
BBC NEWS | Business | Oil prices dip amid profit taking Crude oil prices were barely changed in Friday lunchtime trading, after profit-taking knocked them from Thursday's record highs in early trade.
This is York: Not all doom and gloom Leading North Yorkshire developer S Harrison has challenged the doom-mongers who are predicting a housing market slump as its new homes sales continue to boom.
Guardian : Mortgage lending 'flat' in February Lending on mortgages remained "flat" in February, with the number of mortgages for homebuyers at the lowest level since May 2003, according to figures released today.
this is kent: So are house prices rising or falling? It All depends on who you are listening to. The Nationwide Building Society says that house prices rose by half a per cent in February. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors says that prices fell a little. The trouble is that these are generalised comments covering the whole country.
FT.com: Treasury forecasts house prices will fall by 1% The Treasury expects house prices to fall this year, according to Financial Times calculations. A little-noticed Budget document, published only on the internet, includes the Treasury's internal forecast of the ratio of house prices to earnings.
Times: Property firms in eleventh-hour rush to avoid stamp duty Property companies rushed through an estimated £500 million of commercial property deals before midnight on Wednesday in an attempt to avoid paying stamp duty on commercial property transactions in disadvantaged areas.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Little Red Blogger: Brown Tries to Prop up the Housing Pyramid So another year another budget, Brown has it seems concluded that 'New' Labour's political prospects are tied up with the housing market"
icLiverpool : House prices could rise as investors look at region Property prices are set to soar across the region following Gordon Brown's Budget announcement, experts forecast last night.
ThisIsMoney: London homes to top IHT rate by 2007 value of the average London home owner's estate will be above by the Chancellor's increased inheritance tax threshold within two years, according to new research.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
BBC NEWS | Politics | Brown targets OAPs and homebuyers Gordon Brown has doubled the level at which house buyers pay stamp duty to £120,000 as he put the economy at the heart of Labour's election campaign.
FT.com: UK housing market remains tepid, say surveyors Estate agents have on average a third more properties on their books than they did a year ago as interest from potential buyers remains tepid.
FT.com: Flats lose value in growing market The price of new flats fell last year despite a double-digit jump in the value of every other type of property, according to Land Registry figures.
Brown to unveil his ninth Budget Chancellor Gordon Brown will unveil his make or break Budget later as Labour prepares the battleground for a General Election which could be just two months away.
The Independent: I blame the TV DIY shows When Arifa Akbar bought a flat to do up, she thought she was in easy street. She was wrong
The Independent: More For Your Money: South Harrow, HA2 South Harrow is on the underground, it has flats for singles and young couples as well as houses for families and it has good schools.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Citywire: Panic selling as house prices slide New property coming onto the market has risen to the highest level since May 2003, according to the latest housing market monthly survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics).
BBC NEWS | Business | Home buyers 'can pick and choose' The number of homes coming onto estate agents' books is at its highest level for nearly two years.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Guardian Unlimited Money | Special_reports | Official figures show January house price fall House prices were still falling at the start of the year, with a drop of 1% between December and January, government figures showed today.
Bloomberg.com: U.K. The cost of raw materials used by British factories in February rose at the fastest pace in almost a decade, boosted by increases in crude oil and homegrown foods.
BBC NEWS | Business | House prices fall back in January UK house prices fell 0.1% in January, according to figures from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).
Business finance news - currency market news - online UK currency markets - financial news - Interactive Investor A leading investment bank has warned that UK house prices are up to 20 pct overvalued and that upcoming price falls will eventually push the cost of borrowing to near 50-year lows by the end of next year.
This is Money | House prices | House prices set 'for 7% fall' HOUSE prices are set to drop by 7% over the next three years but there is a one-in-four chance of an early Nineties-style crash, a top investment bank warned today.
Interactive Investor: BoE's Lambert says no mechanical link between inflation forecast and rates A Bank of England policy-maker stressed today that there is no
direct, mechanical link between the central bank's inflation forecast and the
level of interest rates.
The Guardian | Low rates mean long-term liabilities Over the past decade we have become used to interest rates and inflation being very low. Rates seen at the time of Black Wednesday in 1992 of 12%-15% seem unreal compared with today's 4.75%.
The Herald: CML launches withering attack on ‘lazy and unfair tax’ Pressure is growing on Gordon Brown, the chancellor, to reform stamp duty and inheritance tax in next Wednesday's budget, but forecasts suggest he will not budge.
Telegraph : Crime and house prices blight London's feelgood rating Increasing crime and high house prices have pushed London down the international league table for quality of life, a survey has revealed.
The Herald: Look before you leap into buy-to-let Last year's budget saw Gordon Brown, the chancellor, attempting to stimulate investors' interest in property as an investment.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Times: Flat sales speak volumes I have bad news to report. Three-and-a-half months after putting my flat on the market it remains unsold.
BBC NEWS | Business | Gadget Shop into administration High Street retailer The Gadget Shop, which employs 700 staff, is to go into administration this week.
BBC NEWS | UK | Papers look forward to budget day Several papers look forward to Gordon Brown's budget day next week, with the Sunday Mirror forecasting a tax gift of £1m for Britain's lowest paid workers.
Times: Stamp out this huge burden on buyersSince the likelihood of Gordon Brown cutting income tax when he stands up to give his Budget speech on Wednesday is negligible, one of the key issues many of us will be listening out for will be stamp duty — and what, if anything, the Chancellor plans to do to cut this now onerous tax on the property owning classes.
The Independent: Reprieved for now, but rate rise is on the way Blink and you'd have missed it. For the seventh month in a row, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted to keep the cost of borrowing on hold at 4.75 per cent.
Sky News : House Sales Tax Dismissed as 'Barking' Conservative suggestions that Gordon Brown is planning a 40% tax on house sales has been dismissed as "barking".
Saturday, March 12, 2005
CityWire: Bovis will measure housing market heartbeatKeenly awaited clues to the current health of the housing market should emerge on Monday when Bovis, one of the country’s leading housebuilders, delivers full year results.
Telegraph: Diary of a property auction novice When Tania Cagnoni found her dream home at auction, she decided to snap it up... but the expense and the uncertainties soon turned it into a nightmare
Friday, March 11, 2005
Mid-Ulster Mail: House prices go through the roof Houses in Mid-Ulster have increased by nearly 25 per cent, according to figures released this week.
Mortgage Introducer: First-time buyers can't have what they can't afford A survey by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) has revealed that despite long-term desire for home-ownership would-be first-time buyers are being put off by current affordability problems.
BBC NEWS | Business | US trade gap expands to $58.4bn The gap between US imports and exports has widened to the second-highest level on record as US shoppers continued to buy goods from overseas.
The Motley Fool UK: How To Buy A £200,000 House For £120,000 Although self-invested personal pensions have been around since 1990, SIPP holders cannot invest directly in domestic property.
This is Money: Stamp it out, Gordon The average first-time homebuyer now has to pay stamp duty land tax in all but ten of the UK's 659 Parliamentary constituencies. And one of those ten just happens to be Chancellor Gordon Brown's Dunfermline East.
Reuters.co.uk: Brown urged to reform stamp duty in Budget Chancellor Gordon Brown has ruled out vote-winning giveaways in his pre-election budget next Wednesday but reforming stamp duty could be an affordable little sweetener.
Telegraph : BBC uses video to tell staff of job cuts The Director General of the BBC used a 13-minute video message to tell staff yesterday that they faced redundancy as 1,730 jobs were axed in the first round of cost cutting.
Citywire: Self-employed home buyers no longer penalised, says Charcol Self-employed home buyers have had a rough ride in the past, but mortgage broker Charcol reckons the tide is turning.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Interactive Investor: ECB says closely monitoring risks of high household debt, house price rises The European Central Bank said it is closely monitoring the risks associated with euro zone house price rises and high levels of household
debt.
This is Money: Countrywide adds to housing woeCountrywide, the UK's largest estate agency chain, spelled out more grim news for the housing market today after warning of 'significantly' reduced sales volumes.
This is Money: The options for first-timers High house prices have created a tightrope for first-time buyers who want to borrow as much as possible without risking a rise in interest rates.
This is Money: Countrywide adds to housing woe Countrywide the UK's largest estate agency chain, spelled out more grim news for the housing market today after warning of 'significantly' reduced sales volumes.
BBC NEWS | Business | Bank opts to leave rates at 4.75% The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 4.75% for the seventh month in a row.
Check out our new 'Average house Price' graphs which can be accessed from the home page. Hover your mouse above the line on the graph and you will see the data.
This is Money: Interest rates to stay on hold The Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates for the seventh month in a row today, but experts believe the clock is ticking towards further rate rises.
ShropshireStar.com: Housing crisis as prices soar House prices in Oswestry have soared so high that more than 500 new affordable dwellings need to be built each year to cope with needs, a new report revealed today.
BBC NEWS | Business | Bank set to leave rates on hold The Bank of England looks poised to leave interest rates on hold at 4.75% for the seventh month in a row at the end of its rate-setting meeting.
BBC NEWS | Europe | Guernsey | Island house sales hit doldrums The property market in Guernsey has suffered its slowest month in more than eight years.
SMH (AUS): Consumers' nine-year binge is over The biggest plunge in consumer confidence ever recorded has jolted the Howard Government and prompted internal calls for a new burst of economic reform.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
BBC NEWS | Business | Crude oil sets new high in London Crude oil continued its record-breaking run, setting a new high in London amid fears that demand will outstrip supply.
Estate agency news: Bye, bye luy-to-let? The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors have been quick to quell speculation that the golden time for buy-to-let investors could be over, with many facing bankruptcy as they struggle with interest rate rises and an oversaturated rental market.
This is Money: Rate rise on horizon - but not this timeThe Bank of England's monetary policy committee kicks off its latest meeting today with interest rates having been held at 4.75% since last August.
The Guardian: Surprise boost for UK manufacturing British manufacturing output rose unexpectedly in January, but the global goods trade gap worsened significantly, official figures showed today.
icWales - Surviving a house price crash The media has been full of warnings for the past few months that the housing bubble is set to burst. But for every expert predicting the end is nigh there has always been two more prepared to talk the market up.
The Independent: House Hunter: 'I want to buy a wreck at an auction' Marc Fitzgibbon writes: "I have sold my buy-to-let house in London because my rental income has fallen more than 15 per cent since 2000.
The Independent: Buyers have the edge now The start of this year saw the number of properties on the market fall for the first time in eight months, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
The Independent: Too late for landlords? Is it too late to get your first buy-to-let property in the UK? That's the question lots of people are asking. There is no shortage of information. The trouble is that some surveys forecast a meltdown for property, while others are saying the outlook is good. So, what's the true story?
This is Money: Consumers prepare for spending spree: Britons are planning to spend more and save less over the next six months, according to a study by Nationwide.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Top estate agent goes under Property group Chesterton has called in administrators with the loss of 400 jobs, This is Money.co.uk can reveal. The company's collapse is the first real sign of the downturn in the London property market claiming victims.
The Guardian: Boom time for Soweto property The South African township whose uprising became a turning point in the struggle against apartheid is enjoying a property boom.
KPMG: No Room to Move on Interest Rates says KPMG’s Chief Economist Andrew Smith Despite expecting inflation to breach the 2% target next year, the MPC left interest rates on hold in February. While this would usually herald an increase to come, there are reasons to think the Committee will stay its hand again in March.
BBC NEWS | Wales | £60k homes for first-time buyers A Wales-based house building firm says it is the first to meet the UK Government's challenge to build new homes which sell for under £60,000.
This is Money: Estate agent alarm over rate rise Estate agents warned today that a rise in interest rates could be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for the housing market and urged the Bank of England to leave rates on hold.
BBC NEWS | Business | Retail sales stagnate in February The spending slowdown which hit UK retailers over Christmas continued into February, a study has said.
BBC NEWS | Business | UK card fraud rises above £500m Fraud involving credit and debit cards rose by a fifth to £504.8m last year, a bank payment body has said.
SMH (AUS): Rate rise will impact house prices The growth in house prices has stabilised and the recent interest rate rise will start to impact on prices in the coming months, Australia's peak real estate group said.
Monday, March 07, 2005
This is Money | Mortgages & homes | Estate agent alarm over rate rise ESTATE agents warned today that a rise in interest rates could be the 'straw that breaks the camel's back' for the housing market and urged the Bank of England to leave rates on hold.
Credit Man: Confidence falling but interest rates set to rise Uncertainty over the forthcoming Budget and general election has caused short-term business confidence to slip to its lowest levels since 2003. However, BDO Stoy Hayward expects to see two interest rate rises by late-summer.
BBC NEWS | Business | Online UK loans exchange launched The world's first online lending and borrowing exchange has been launched.
Scotsman.com Business: Big chill hits the high street as retail set for fresh decline Blizzards and higher borrowing costs have combined to drive down high street sales over the last month, the British Retail Consortium will report today.
icWales: Service sector shows increase in optimism Confidence in service sector firms has increased for the first time in nine months, boosting employment prospects, a new survey showed today.
icWales: 'People are waiting longer to get married' Carwyn Hones says his main regret is not getting on the property ladder earlier so that he could have knocked a larger chunk off his mortgage repayments by now.
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