April 27, 2007

Europe, Asia markets lower on session

by Elaine Frei
Equities markets in Asia and the Pacific were lower on Friday. The biggest losses came in India, where the Sensex dropped 2.25 percent to 13,908.58 on profit taking after four consecutive days of gains. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index fell 0.68 percent to 20,526.5, while in Singapore the Straits Times Index was 0.81 percent lower, to 3,398.6. ...

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Nationwide: House prices up 0.9 percent in April

by Elaine Frei
House prices were up again in April according to a new survey by the Nationwide Building Society. Prices were up by 0.9 percent over March, putting annual house price inflation at 10.2 percent. The average price of a house in the UK is now up to £180,314. Still, the Nationwide says that price growth is beginning ...

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Insurance for your bicycle? At least one provider says “Yes”

by Elaine Frei
Most people insure their homes and automobiles. But how many bicycle owners think to take out insurance on their two-wheeled transportation? The number is likely not very high. However, the results of a new study indicate that the time might be right to think about insuring that bicycle, especially since recent trends have more ...

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April 26, 2007

London markets see gains on session

by Elaine Frei
Equities markets in the Asia and Pacific regions saw gains on Thursday. After a day off yesterday for the Anzac Day holiday, the Sydney Ordinaries added 0.26 percent to 6,189.4. In India, the Sensex gained 0.08 percent to 14,228.88. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index was 0.64 percent higher to 20,66 7.29, while the Straits Times ...

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OFT opens wider study into banking charges

by Elaine Frei
In addition to a continuing look into how banks charge for bounced checks and unauthorized overdrafts, the Office of Fair Trading has announced that it will conduct a wider investigation into other charges banks levy on customers. The OFT says that the study is needed because many people have no idea how much they really pay for “free” banking, ...

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Study: Number of private landlords set to increase

by Elaine Frei
According to market research organization Mintel, the number of people in the UK who own a second home in order to rent it out could double in the next three years. A new report by the researchers claims that 3 percent of homeowners are considering purchasing a rental property by 2010. If all those who are considering ...

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April 25, 2007

Dow reaches new record; European markets see gains

by Elaine Frei
Equities markets in Asia were mixed on Wednesday. While the Sensex was 0.57 percent higher to 14,217.77 in India, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 0.18 percent to 20,536.78. Tokyo markets were down by much more. The Nikkei 225 dropped 1.2 percent to 17,236.15, its lowest close in three weeks, while the Topix index ...

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FSA criticizes insurance cold-call practices

by Elaine Frei
After examining the way that 43 insurance companies sell their policies over the telephone, the Financials Services Authority has told the industry that they must improve their “cold-call” methods. The inquiry included questionnaires to all the firms, visits to some of them as well as scrutiny of nearly 300 calls made by sales associates at 19 of the companies. A spokesman for ...

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Switching to lower interest rate mortgage not always the best deal

by Elaine Frei
At a time when interest rates seem to keep rising and many mortgage holders are looking for either a fixed-rate deal or at the very least the best rate they can find, comparison service Moneyfacts.co.uk has found that jumping from one’s current mortgage to one that seemingly has a lower rate might not save the mortgage ...

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April 24, 2007

European equities markets see declines

by Elaine Frei
In the Asia and Pacific regions on Tuesday, equities markets were again mixed. The Sydney Ordinaries were lower, dropping 0.31 percent to 6,173.3. Elsewhere, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong closed 0.08 percent higher to 20,572.52, while in India the Sensex gained 1.5 percent to 14,136.72. In Tokyo, the markets saw very little movement, with the Nikkei 225 ...

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House prices in every UK town top £100,000 for the first time

by Elaine Frei
House price statistics from the first quarter of 2007 show that no town in the UK has an average price lower than £100,000 for the first time in history. In addition, according to the new price survey from the Halifax (LSE: HBOS), the ten towns with the largest increase in house prices in the ...

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Lloyds TSB offers new account aimed at immigrant workers

by Elaine Frei
Lloyds TSB (LSE: LLOY) has said it will introduce a new bank account aimed at Polish and other immigrant workers who send money back to family at home. The new Silver account includes a money transfer card that makes it easy and safe to send cash abroad. The card is pre-paid, not a debit card, so ...

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April 23, 2007

Asian markets mixed on session

by Elaine Frei
Asian and Pacific equities markets were mixed on Monday. In Australia, the Sydney Ordinaries added 0.08 percent to 6,192.2, while in India the Sensex was 0.22 percent higher to 13,928.33 and the Straits Times index in Singapore gained 0.83 percent to 3,388.48. On the other hand, the Hang Seng index dropped 0.05 percent to 20,556.57 in Hong Kong. The ...

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Barclays, Amro agree on deal

by Elaine Frei
It was reported on Monday that Barclays Bank (LSE: BARC; NYSE: BCS; TYO: 8642) has agreed to a merger deal with ABN Amro (Euronext: AAB; NYSE: ABN) that is worth £45 billion. The new bank that will be created if the deal is finalized will have 47 million customers, service 27 million credit card holders, and employ 217,000 staff. In ...

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Mortgage lending up again in March

by Elaine Frei
According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, total mortgage lending on residential properties in March was at £31.3 billion, yet another record. The figure was 10 percent higher than that of a year ago, and was up 22 percent from lending in February. Much of the activity during the month, the CML says, was a result of borrowers seeking ...

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April 20, 2007

Global Stagflation: for every investor

by Brian Turner
For a few years all the warning signs have been present - that the UK was moving out of a booming economic cycle, and that recession could threaten the UK. Now the problem looming appears even worse - that of global stagflation. I was speaking with a friend who runs a company providing overseas property investment opportunities. I asked which regions are ...

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April 13, 2007

Markets mixed globally to end week

by Elaine Frei
In Asia and the Pacific, the markets were mixed on the day, but mostly lower. The Sensex was 2.06 percent higher to 13,384.08 in India, but most other indices saw declines. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped 0.19 percent to 20,340.97, while in Singapore the Straits Times index fell 0.28 percent to 3,373.59. In Australia, the ...

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