Bank sanctions December rate rise The Bank of England (BoE) sanctioned a 15-basis-point increase in its main interest rate on 16 December and warned that inflation is now likely to hit 6% by spring. At its latest meeting held in mid-December, the BoE’s nine-member Monetary Policy Committee voted by an 8-1 majority to raise Bank Rate to 0.25% from its Read More
Residential Property Review – December 2021
Slowing activity but demand remains high New buyer enquiries rose slightly in the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) November survey, with a net balance of +13%, while new instructions fell for the eighth successive month to -18%. The end of the Stamp Duty holiday, among other factors, has contributed to a dip in housing market activity, with Q3 recording Read More
Commercial Property Market Review – December 2021
Strong performance from retail parks Retail parks remain the shining light of the retail industry, with their yields across Europe now at parity with shopping centre yields, according to Savills’ data. So far in 2021, more than €5.1bn has been invested in retail parks across nine European countries. Investment was up 46% year-on-year in the third quarter and the average Read More
Economic Review – November 2021
Inflationary pressures mount Official statistics show the UK headline rate of inflation now stands at a 10-year high, with surveys pointing to further upward pressure as firms continue to report rapidly-rising cost burdens. Data released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate – which compares prices in the current Read More
Residential Property Review – November 2021
Spending pledges for housing in Autumn Budget In his Autumn Budget delivered at the end of October, Chancellor Rishi Sunak committed more cash to building new homes on derelict or unused land in England, as part of a £24bn fund earmarked for housing. The plans will see 160,000 greener homes built on brownfield land and the addition of up to Read More
Commercial Property Market Review – November 2021
Business rates boost for hospitality and leisure The Autumn Budget provided good news for badly hit shops, restaurants, bars and gyms, with a temporary 50% cut in business rates in England announced by the Chancellor. These sectors, which suffered particularly badly during the pandemic, will be able to claim a 50% discount on their bills up to a maximum of Read More
Economic Review October 2021
OBR forecasts stronger growth The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has upgraded its UK economic growth forecast and is now predicting the economy will return to its pre-pandemic level six months earlier than previously expected. Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the independent forecaster’s revised projections during his Budget statement delivered to the House of Commons on 27 October. The new forecast Read More
Residential Property Review – October 2021
Supply still lagging demand Steady buyer demand and a sixth successive month of net negative new instructions, were the standout trends in the September UK Residential Market Survey published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). “At the national level, new buyer enquiries had a net balance of zero in September, up from -13% in August” At the national Read More
