News in Review
“We have to be quite careful at this point in how we calibrate our response” Last week, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held Bank Rate at 4.5%, a widely expected move but one that was more emphatically supported than analysts had predicted. At its meeting on 19 March, eight MPC members voted […]
Commercial Property Market Review – March 2025
Regional office investment rebounds as confidence grows Investor sentiment in the regional office market has improved, with total investment reaching £2.9bn in 2024, up 10% from 2023, according to Savills. The Big Six regional cities saw office take-up of 4.6 million sq. ft, 15% above the five-year average and the highest since 2019. Opportunistic investors […]
News in Review
“The economy shrank a little in January but grew in the latest three months as a whole” The UK economy shrank unexpectedly in January, according to official data released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). With a contraction of 0.1%, the economy fared worse at the start of 2025 than analysts had […]
News in Review
“February’s figures highlight the delicate balance within the UK housing market” The most recent House Price Index data from Halifax released on Friday showed an unexpected fall of 0.1% in February; a Reuters poll of economists had expected a 0.3% uptick in the month. Amanda Bryden, Head of Mortgages at Halifax said, “The typical UK […]
News in Review
“We have a chance now to do the same for the 21st century” A trade deal between the UK and US could be agreed “very quickly,” President Donald Trump said at a White House press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The President suggested the UK may avoid the tariffs imposed on other trading partners, […]
Economic Review February 2025
Growth stronger than expected in late 2024 Data released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the UK economy unexpectedly grew in the final three months of last year, although more recent survey evidence still points to a sluggish outlook. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics showed that economic output […]
News in Review
“Getting more money in people’s pockets is my number one mission” The latest inflation figures released last Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics showed an unexpected surge, with the headline rate climbing to 3% in January from December’s 2.5%, marking the highest level in nearly a year. This increase surpassed the Bank of England’s […]
Commercial Property Market Review – February 2025
According to Rightmove, demand In Q4 2024 for industrial listings was 72% higher than in Q4 2023 The market in Scotland in Q4 was strong with industrial (+41%), office (+12%) and retail (+6%) The RICS long-term outlook remains positive for the commercial property sector Industrial prowess helps commercial demand soar Demand for investment in commercial […]
News in Review
“I’m still not satisfied with the level of growth that our economy is achieving” The latest UK growth data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the economy grew by 0.1% in the fourth quarter of last year, exceeding expectations. A Reuters poll of economists had forecast that gross domestic product (GDP) would shrink […]
News in Review
“Low and stable inflation is the foundation of a healthy economy” In their latest meeting on 6 February, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a 7 to 2 majority to cut Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.5%, in a widely expected move. The two dissenting voices wished to reduce Bank Rate by […]