Investment

Top concerns of Asia- Pacific investors:

A survey  revealed their most prominent concern is how to manage current market volatility and geopolitical risks and how to better diversify their portfolio to mitigate these risks. About 68% of the investors in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan and Australia have realigned their portfolios to better weather current market conditions. Many have also put money into “safer” assets like cash and gold. Some are investing in private assets including private equity, private debt, real estate and infrastructure investments, with those in S

Property Consulting

China cuts mortgage rate as property crisis deepens:

China’s central bank has cut its mortgage rate as officials work to support the crisis hit property market. The bank has lowered the five year loan rate by 1.5%, which is the biggest cut in history. Lockdowns due to the country's strict zero-Covid policies are also affecting businesses and consumers. Home sales in China have fallen for 11 months in a row, official data shows. That is the longest slump since China created a private property market in the late 1990s. Several Chinese developers have halted building work on homes that had already been sold, because of concerns

Property Consulting

Can we buy our shared ownership property outright and let it out?

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, under the terms of your shared ownership lease you are not allowed to let your home if you only own a part of it (although you are usually allowed to have a lodger who lives with you). To be able to staircase to 100%, you’ll need to pay to get a valuation done by an independent Rics-qualified valuer. Then you need to calculate whether the money you inherited will be enough to cover 75% of the valuation or whether you’ll need to increase your current mortgage to be able to buy your home outright. If you switch to a buy-to-let mort

Investment

THG Shares Dip After SoftBank Investment Option Is Ditched

THG Plc shares fell after the British online shopping emporium said it had ended a deal with SoftBank Group Corp. due to “global macroeconomic conditions.” Speculation has been mounting for months that SoftBank, one of the world’s largest strategic investors, would not exercise the option. SoftBank had the right to exercise an option to buy a 20% stake in the UK company’s Ingenuity business, which helps third party businesses sell goods online. There has been no comments since as to why the contract between the two parties was terminated. ________________________________

Property Consulting

Calling all property buyers: Elizabeth line is connecting Greater London closer to the capital

Buying a property in London, particularly for first time buyers is often very difficult for ideal location, space and price. However, the launch of the Elizabeth line as it is now known, is potentially life-changing. For those wanting to get on to the property ladder, there’s a new housing development within easy reach of the capital. The new Metalworks complex built on throwing distance from Slough train station. These high-quality properties not only offer extra living space, which is at a premium in the capital, but their prices are also up to 45 per cent lower than tho

Property Consulting

The areas most at risk of a second home crackdown!

Holiday let and second home owners, especially in the south of England are most at risk of higher tax bills and guest restrictions after an uproar from locals in tourist hotspots. This means that investors could face heavy losses. Local authorities have been granted the power to double council tax bills on second homes not in use or let out for at least 70 days per year in a bid to deter empty holiday homes in picturesque areas. The predicted areas currently are : North Norfolk, Cornwall, Isle of Wight, Tendring, Bath and North East Somerset. Furthermore, it is noticed tha

Investment, Macro Economics

Major Russian Investment Projects are being sidelined due to sanctions!

Plans to build a massive gold plant have been halted as sanctions against Russia continue to mount. The sharp drop in imports necessary for investment projects is driving what may be Russia's steepest economic decline in three decades.  Western financial and technology sanctions imposed on Russia to punish the Kremlin for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine have upended Polymetal's plans. Russia's economic output could fall by as much as 7 percent this year and 10 percent next year. Russia has not experienced consecutive years of economic decline since the early 1990s.The p

Property Consulting

Boris Johnson’s plan for 50-year mortgages is outright ‘risky’ and solely aimed at inflating the market:

The Prime Minister that he would be open to encouraging 50-year mortgages with debt potentially being transferred to the next generation are “unhelpful and fail to address the significant, long-term issues in the housing market." New plans would allow family homes and their mortgages to be inherited. The comments suggest that the Prime Minister may be aimed at encouraging greater home ownership but instead have the potential to encourage a short-term boom in the housing market followed by a long-term bust. _______________________ How would you handle the current market

Investment

The Era of New Ideas: Multilateralism, Sustainable trade & Trade Ins

Global trade, which hit a record high of USD 28.5 trillion in 2021, is expected to grow steadily in 2022 and the coming years. Nationalist – as opposed to protectionist – trade policies are likely to continue to dominate. A new multilateralism is likely to take hold. Old forms of multilateralism are likely to fade, while new forms, such as increased regionalism, will drive cross-border trade in new sectors, including predominantly in digitalisation and sustainability. Bilateral, regional, and multiparty trade deals are increasing. Under the new trade paradigm, cross-border

Property Consulting

Property expert in warning after huge rise in number of York holiday lets:

A huge  jump in the number of holiday lets in York, plus a planned Government shake-up of the private rental market, will have a big impact on renters. The private rental sector has had to adjust to significant legislative changes over the last few years such as meeting the minimum energy efficiency standards through to losing the ability to offset interest payments from an income tax perspective. In our experience this has driven many landlords - due to the capital investment required and or the returns that can be achieved - to reconsider owning rental properties with ma