While the new-build property market may be going through something of a slump at the moment, anyone who has looked at the private rented sector of late will know rents are only going one way - up.Recent updates from estate agents Belvoir (BLV:AIM) and Foxtons (FOXT) have highlighted both the strength of the rental market and the significant under-supply of prime properties.With housing starts...

Shares in housing-related stocks had already been weak this year in anticipation of a property market slowdown, but new data showing an actual decline in UK house prices and a warning from housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) about a rise in cancellations and a reset of its dividend policy have caused more unease among investors.According to Halifax average UK house prices fell by 0.4% between...

According to the Nationwide building society, the average selling price of houses in the UK hit a record £254,822 this month, up more than 10% on the same month last year and the biggest price increase since 2006.Demand has remained surprisingly strong in the final quarter of the year following the tapering of the stamp duty holiday at the end of September, with average prices now 16% above...

Despite gains for index heavyweights including Lloyds Banking (LLOY) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the FTSE fell on Thursday due to negative movements from both Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and HSBC (HSBA).The blue chip benchmark traded 0.36% lower at 7,227.24 points on a busy day of corporate results.The European Central Bank was set to update the market later in the day and investors will be...

London's FTSE 100 rallied for the second successive day following Monday's correction, climbing on hopes that central banks might maintain support for the global economy for longer given rising Covid infections as well as a number of positive corporate updates.By the close, the blue chip benchmark finished 1.7% higher at 6,998.28 points, its recovery from a tough start to the week supported by...

London's FTSE 100 was in recovery mode on Wednesday after the recent big sell-off, gaining as several companies reported positive results. By midday, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.6% to 6,990.22 points.UK shares were buoyed as official figures showed the Government borrowed less than expected with the budget deficit coming in at £69.5 billion in the three months to June, helped by the...

Results from London-focused estate and lettings agent Foxtons (FOXT) suggest reports of a demise for the capital's property market may have been a bit premature, with the shares rising 2.4% to 60.4p.Synonymous with the boom in London property prices in the last decade and more the company had endured a tough time even before the pandemic as the market cooled, although a strong balance sheet at...

We are championing UK stocks despite the introduction of the latest lockdown measures. For more than four years London-listed shares have trailed in the wake of nearly all other major global markets, but the early Christmas present of a Brexit deal should end much of the uncertainty which led to this underperformance.We are already seeing a dramatic reversal in fortunes with the FTSE 100 going...

Stocks eased on Friday as prime minister Johnson warned of a 'strong possibility' that the UK would eave the EU on 1 January without a trade deal. The two sides have set a deadline of Sunday to resolve their differences over fishing rights, a 'level playing field' and ongoing regulation.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was down 29 points or 0.4% at 6,571, pulled lower by telecoms, house builders...

According to property portal Rightmove (RMV) the last four weeks has seen the highest number of agreed house sales on its platform in a single month since it started tracking the data over a decade ago, helped by a waiver on stamp duty on houses worth £500,000 or less.The firm believes 'the rulebook has been rewritten as the post-lockdown mini-boom accelerates rather than slows down.' The...

The decision by chancellor Rishi Sunak to temporarily waive stamp duty on the purchase of homes up to the value of £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland until the end of March 2021 has reignited the housing market after months of hibernation caused bythe coronavirus.Since the announcement on 8 July, shares in the housebuilders have mostly beaten the FTSE All-Share index with gains of...

Chancellor's Rishi Sunak's Summer Statement - described as a mini-budget in some quarters - delivered more or less what had been expected.In the absence of any big surprises the FTSE 100 delivered a bit of a shrug to the announcement, remaining subdued down 0.4% at 6,167.61, and sterling was unchanged against the dollar.Following a wave of job losses being announced across different sectors -...

The housing market is emerging from hibernation but as investors in directly related sectors like housebuilders and estate agents count the cost of lockdown they have seen a significant divergence in share price performance.There are a number of factors behind these disparities. A look at the table of year-to-date performance suggests that financial strength has been a clear dividing line but...

UK stocks opened substantially higher on Friday after Donald Trump laid out reopening plans for the US economy, with the FTSE 100 up 158 points or 2.8% at 5,786.1 early on. Markets were also buoyed by reports that a coronavirus treatment from Gilead Sciences had delivered positive results.The rally came despite China announcing its first every quarterly economic contraction on record, with...

UK equity rallied strongly in early trade on Friday as investors welcome the removal of several key risks that have been hanging over the stock market, sparking the pound to post its biggest gain against the dollar in two and a half years, with £1 worth $1.34.The market now has more confidence that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be able to pass a Brexit deal and for the UK to formally...

Despite a drag from miners, London's FTSE 100 recovered by 10.9 points to trade at 7,500 on Friday with the FTSE 250 up 41.6 points to 19,862, as Vodafone (VOD) jumped on plans to create a separate European tower company and education firm Pearson (PSON) perked up on a positive trading missive.Mobile giant Vodafone rose 7.4% to 142p on news it will legally separate its towers business into a...

Having attempted a recovery earlier in the year shares in London-focused estate agent Foxtons (FOXT) are back on the floor and heading in the direction of all-time lows. Down 5.8% to 56.5p the stock is close to its absolute nadir of around 44p.This follows a trading update which follows the gloomy pattern set in recent months and years.In hindsight the IPO of Foxtons looks particularly...

UK markets start the week flat with energy stocks such as BP (BP.), Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and John Wood Group (WG.) supporting the FTSE 100 at 7,437 as Brent crude prices continue to move up while Travel stocks are the main losers.On a quiet day for company news, airline Ryanair (RYA) reports full year profits down 29% to €1.02bn as strong traffic growth is offset by lower fares.Growth...

The FTSE 100 takes its cue from weak trading in Asia overnight and weakness in commodity markets to slip 0.2% to 7,303.55 early on.Non-life insurer Lancashire Holdings (LRE) expects to report a loss in the third quarter owing to an expected loss of $30m from claims within its marine portfolio. The company also says it expected further losses in the range of $25m to $45m from exposure to...

After a weak start, the FTSE 100 is up 3.9 points to 7,738.78 following strong trading on Wall Street overnight. The government's confirmation of a reduction in the fixed odds betting terminals stake limit has impacted the listed bookies. William Hill (WMH) is down 3.7% to 306p, 888 Holdings (888) is off 2.8% to 307.6p and GVC (GVC) down 3.2% to 886p.Letter and parcels delivery company Royal...