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☆ Markets are not factoring in Russia's demand for gold: Analyst
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailMarkets are not factoring in Russia's demand for gold: AnalystJonathan Barratt of CelsiusPro says gold prices have gone "too far, too quickly" and expects some consolidation before a further move higher.

Persons: Jonathan Barratt, CelsiusPro

☆ US-Russia collaboration has long endured in space. The Ukraine war could ruin it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Tom Porter | Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The International Space Station has long been a symbol of international cooperation. AdvertisementSince the end of the Cold War, the International Space Station (ISS) has been a symbol of international cooperation. By 1988, 15 nations had agreed to participate in the project, then known as Space Station Freedom. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesThe Soviets had long-standing expertise in aerospace technology, having launched the world's first space station, "Salyut," in 1971. China has completed several unmanned Moon landings, has its own space station, and has developed a sophisticated commercial and military satellite program.

Persons: —, Peggy Whitson, Vladimir Putin, Jill Stuart, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, Marco Tacca, Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, Sergey Korsakov, Virts, Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Alexander Grebenkin, Jeanette Epps, Stuart, Verts, Musk Organizations: Astronauts, Service, Space, Veteran, ISS, Imperial College London, Politics, NASA, European Space Agency, ESA, Inter, Soyuz, Keystone, Hulton, Roscosmos, Reuters, Anadolu, Getty, Imperial College, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Elon Musk's SpaceX, The Independent, CNBC Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, China, Japan, loggerheads, Hollywood, Canada, Soviet Union, Milan, Italy, Luhansk, Luhansk People's Republic, Russian, Baikonur, Kazakhstan, The, Soviet Russia

☆ ‘Remarkable’ Roman villa discovered under housing development
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Archaeologists have unearthed a “remarkable” Roman villa complex on a housing development site in a small English village. The complex was decorated with painted plaster, mosaics and there was a collection of tiny, tightly-coiled lead scrolls suggesting some sort of ritual or pilgrimage might have taken place there, according to a press release. The villa in Grove would have been “central for this area of Oxfordshire,” Francesca Giarelli, project officer for Red River Archaeology Group and the site’s director, told CNN on Thursday. Archaeologists found huge quantities of painted plaster. Even in the late Roman period, this particular villa continued to show signs of human activity.

Persons: ” Francesca Giarelli, Giarelli, ” Giarelli, Barratt, David Wilson Homes, haven’t Organizations: CNN —, River Archaeology Group, CNN, River Archaeology, Red River Archaeology Locations: Grove, Oxfordshire, Red

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station blasted off Saturday, two days after its launch was aborted at the last minute. The spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus launched smoothly from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan. The head of the Russian space agency, Yuri Borisov, said the launch abort was triggered by a voltage drop in a power source. The space capsule atop the rocket separated and went into orbit eight minutes after the launch and began a two-day, 34-orbit trip to the space station. Russia has continued to rely on modified versions of Soviet-designed rockets for commercial satellites, as well as crews and cargo to the space station.

Persons: Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky, Marina Vasilevskaya, Yuri Borisov, Loral O’Hara, Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai, Alexander Grebenkin, O'Hara Organizations: MOSCOW, Russian Soyuz, International Space, NASA Locations: Russian, Belarus, Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine

The SpaceX logo is shown on a Falcon 9 rocket as it is prepared for launch to carry NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin to the International Space Station at the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., March 2, 2024. The National Labor Relations Board accused SpaceX in a new complaint of entering into unlawful severance agreements with terminated employees nationwide. The unfair labor practices complaint comes two months after SpaceX filed a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of the NLRB's oversight authority, and after the federal agency in a separate complaint accused the company of illegally firing eight workers who had criticized its CEO Elon Musk in an open letter. The new NLRB complaint claims that SpaceX included unlawful confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in severance agreements and that it unlawfully limited the terminated workers' ability to participate in other claims against the company. It also alleges that the rocket maker and satellite internet company maintained an unlawful rule that required workers — as a condition of their employment — to sign an agreement for arbitration and dispute resolution, and to waive their right to receive money in class-action lawsuits against the company.

Persons: Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Alexander Grebenkin, SpaceX, Elon Musk Organizations: SpaceX, International, Kennedy Space Center, National Labor Relations Board, Company Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts headed to the International Space Station on Sunday where they will oversee the arrivals of two new rocketships during their half-year stint. SpaceX’s Falcon rocket blasted off from Kennedy Space Center, carrying NASA’s Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps and Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin. “When are you getting here already?” space station commander Andreas Mogensen asked via X, formerly Twitter, after three days of delay due to high wind. Epps should have launched to the space station on a Russian rocket in 2018, but was replaced for reasons never publicly disclosed. Flight controllers are monitoring a growing cabin leak on Russia’s side of the space station.

Persons: Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps, Russia’s Alexander Grebenkin, “, Andreas Mogensen, Epps, Billy Joel, Dominick, Barratt, ” Barratt, Joel Montalbano Organizations: International, Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX, NASA, Sierra, Ford Motor Co, CIA, Navy, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, U.S, Denmark, Japan, Russia, New York, Syracuse, N.Y, Russian

☆ UK homebuilder Barratt to buy rival Redrow in 2.52 billion pound deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Britain's biggest homebuilder Barratt will buy Redrow in an all-stock deal valuing its smaller rival at about 2.52 billion pounds ($3.18 billion), they said on Wednesday, aiming to capitalise on the fledgling recovery in the market. This is the second consolidation in the sector in as many years after affordable-housing-focused builder Vistry bought rival Countryside for about 1.25 billion pounds in 2022. The newest combination, to be renamed "Barratt Redrow," aims to deliver more than 22,000 homes each year in the medium term, which is between 57% and 63% more than the 13,500 to 14,000 deliveries Barratt expects to deliver by itself in fiscal 2024. British housebuilders have struggled for the past couple of years as high interest rates dented demand and build costs rose. They have been cautious about the future as well, despite signs of stabilization -- including a rise in home prices last month -- spurred by cheaper mortgage loans.

Persons: homebuilder Barratt, Vistry, Barratt, Redrow's, British housebuilders Organizations: Countryside Locations: British

At the 12th annual Exposure Skate competition this month in the California beach town of Encinitas, girls under 10 and in their teens were shredding. "I hope girls' skateboarding improves even more and we can push each other and beat the boys," Suganami added with a laugh. Parents of the skateboarding girls are equally stoked by the expertise and the attention. "They are missing that girls are the future of skateboarding and girls can be good at skateboarding too," said Lulu Johnson. "So what you will see if you go to a skate park or skateboarding contest, is the competitors are cheering each other, supporting each other.

Persons: Jordyn Barratt, Mike Blake, Cona Suganami, Suganami, Amelia Brodka, Brodka, Tony Hawk, Hawk, Lauren Wigo, Marisol Concha, Lisa Lilley, Ruby, Lilley, Mindy Johnson, Lulu, Lulu Johnson, extol, Mary Milliken, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Encinitas , California, U.S, , California, California, Encinitas, Tokyo, Poland, Park, New York City, Oceanside , California, Minnesota

☆ UK housebuilder Persimmon lifts home-build target in tough market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A company logo is seen on the outside of a sales office at a Persimmon housing development in Liverpool, Britain, August 23, 2023. The target hike comes after peers Barratt (BDEV.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) last month flagged that challenges in the British housing market would continue over the coming months. High mortgage rates have dented sales for much of this year, forcing builders to warn on profits and cut home-build targets at a time when the UK economy is battling marked challenges, including sticky inflation and slowdown. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm now expects to build 9,500 homes in 2023, above its August forecast of 9,000 units, helped by improved sales since the start of October. Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu SahuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, Persimmon, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Subhranshu Sahu Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, York, Bengaluru

☆ Big government will drive the next market cycle
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Francesco Guerrera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Growth picked up while quiescent inflation permitted interest rates to fall. Bereft of government support, central banks tried to stimulate their economies by pushing interest rates to new lows. That means interest rates will struggle to return to the ultra-low levels seen after 2008. The first takeaway is that higher debt levels, inflation and interest rates should be bad for bonds. Vincent Deluard of StoneX has proposed a division between intangible and tangible companies.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, ” Ronald Reagan’s, Milton Friedman –, Britain’s Margaret Thatcher –, Reaganomics ”, Réka Juhász, Nathan J, Lane, Dani Rodrik, government’s, Vincent Deluard, StoneX, Lockheed Martin, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Republicans, Capitol, REUTERS, Reuters, Bank, Asset, Monetary Fund, Treasury, Capital Economics, Reuters Graphics Reuters Graphics, Capital, Facebook, Meta, Lockheed, Micron Technology, U.S, Congress, Nasdaq, Energy, Exxon Mobil, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, “, Ukraine, Covid, Europe, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan

☆ How a Google loophole lets drug dealers hijack nearly any website — including our own
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Nor does it always appear to pay attention to other signals webmasters code in asking Google not to index their search results. It's why someone advertised how to buy cocaine and fentanyl in Pittsburgh on a National Institutes of Health website. It directs searchers to the Telegram user who offered to sell Insider cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines. The proliferation of drug ads in search results lands amid a growing upswell of discontent with what some users and website owners say is the declining quality of Google Search. For now, a simple Google search leads prospective drug buyers to markets on Telegram.

Persons: Jake Swearingen, Jane, Ted Kubaitis, Katherine Long, Monica Barratt, Barratt, Kubaitis, Davis, Timothy Mackey, Mackey, Erin Lalor, Eric Schwartzman, They're, Zack Onisko, Dribbble Organizations: Google, Food and Drug Administration, Interpol, United Nations, Food, FDA, Ontario, UN, Drugs, US Postal Service, Cash, Telegram, Scottish, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, Cleveland Clinic, Drug, Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation, IRS, Tricare, Alabama Department of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, University of California, University of Chicago, The New York Times, Bloomberg, CNBC, The Washington Post, UC San Diego's Global Health, Data, Alcohol, Drug Foundation, East Tennessee University Locations: Ontario, Canada, cryptocurrency, Fresno , California, Pittsburgh, Clairton , Pennsylvania, New York, Dayton , Ohio, Goodlettsville , Tennessee, Alabama, Maine, Seattle

☆ UK's Barratt flags tough housing market conditions after annual profit fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A company logo is seen on a banner outside a Barratt Homes housing development in Warrington, Britain, August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) flagged difficult trading conditions over the coming months after it posted a fall in annual profit on Wednesday, as high mortgage rates and a cost-of-living squeeze pummel demand. Affordability concerns stoked by high mortgage rates and a prolonged cost-of-living crisis have weighed on the UK housing market, with indicators on everything from mortgage demand to construction rates and prices sliding in recent months. Barratt said the UK housing market remained difficult and the outlook uncertain, adding that it expected average sales sites to reduce by around 6% in the current fiscal year. British house prices in August were 5.3% lower than a year earlier, their biggest annual decline since July 2009, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Friday.

Persons: Phil Noble, Barratt, David Thomas, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Christopher Cushing Organizations: Barratt Homes, REUTERS, FTSE, Nationwide, Credit Suisse, Thomson Locations: Warrington, Britain, Bengaluru, London

☆ FTSE 100 dragged down by global gloom, Barratt warning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Signage for the London Stock Exchange Group is seen outside of offices in Canary Wharf in London, Britain, August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies FTSE 100 down 0.5%, FTSE 250 falls 0.4%Sept 6 (Reuters) - UK's FTSE 100 slipped on Wednesday as recent soft economic data from China and Europe continued to weigh on global sentiment, while shares of Barratt Developments fell after the homebuilder warned of a tough housing market environment. The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) dropped 0.5% in early trade, while the domestically focussed FTSE 250 index (.FTMC) declined 0.4%. Global markets also extended losses for a second day as faltering growth in China and Europe heightened concerns about global economic momentum. GLOB/MKTSEmerging markets-focused fund manager Ashmore's shares (ASHM.L) fell 4.3% after it reported a 6% drop in annual profit.

Persons: Toby Melville, Barratt, Ashmore's, WH Smith, Siddarth, Sohini Goswami Organizations: London Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Barratt, Global, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, China, Europe, Bengaluru

☆ From holidays to mortgage waivers, UK homebuilders dish out freebies to revive sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

If they have a 5% deposit, then deposit boost works well where we give an additional 5% so that they can secure a 90% loan-to-value mortgage," said a sales director with Persimmon. Some homebuyers are opting for exchange options, where the builder purchases the buyer's existing property and the payment helps fund the new-home purchase. "Mortgage holidays", offered by Persimmon and other builders, are also popular among homebuyers with builders contributing towards home-loan payment during a specific period. Reuters GraphicsKNOCK ON MARGINSThe incentives, while aimed at boosting demand, come at a cost for homebuilders struggling to keep costs low. Persimmon said last month sales incentives and marketing costs shaved off 2.1% from its half-year gross margins.

Persons: Toby Melville, Barratt, Persimmon, Aynsley Lammin, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, Cullen, Taylor, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: REUTERS, British, Reuters Graphics, Bank of England, Reuters, Peel, Thomson Locations: Bristol, Britain, British, Bengaluru

☆ Britain's Bellway says new home sales to fall 'materially'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Toby Melville/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - Britain's Bellway (BWY.L) said on Wednesday it would build fewer homes this year and warned that it expects sales completions to drop "materially" amid a sharp housing sector slowdown triggered by higher mortgage rates. Bellway said it built 10,945 homes in the fiscal year ended July 31, slightly down from the guidance of 11,000 units. "In the current financial year, given the level of the order book and prevailing low reservation rates, legal completions are expected to decrease materially," it said in a statement. Bellway, whose builds range from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes, said its full-year overall reservation rate fell 28.4% to 156 per week, and it also saw a steep fall from 190 units during the Feb. 1-June 4 period. Bellway's mid-cap competitors Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) and Vistry (VTYV.L) have said high mortgage rates were hampering demand from first-time buyers.

Persons: Toby Melville, Bellway, Barratt, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Suban Abdulla, Subhranshu Sahu, Paul Sandle, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, FTSE, Berkeley, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Newcastle, England, Bengaluru

☆ Watching Simone Biles this weekend will show how women’s gymnastics has changed
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Elle Reeve | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Simone Biles, photographed practicing this week, is set to compete for the first time since the Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesAt 26, you might hear commentators call Biles “old” for her sport. “To do gymnastics, you have to have good strength-to-weight ratio,” said Jessica O’Beirne, host of the long-running GymCastic podcast. You can’t do the gymnastics required if you don’t have power.”In the bad old days, the emphasis was on weight. “One of the things that has totally changed is the fact that people understand now how important nutrition is.

Persons: Simone Biles, ”, she’s, Stacy Revere, Biles, Jessica O’Beirne, Bela Karolyi’s, Nadia Comaneci, Comaneci, Frank Barratt, Svetlana Boginskaya, Tatiana Lysenko, Jennifer Sey, Mattie Larson, Nick Laham, “, ” Larson, Podcaster O’Beirne, Ellie Black, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Carey, Chiles, O’Beirne, ” O’Beirne, I’ve Organizations: CNN —, Tokyo, ”, Olympic, CNN, USA

☆ UK homebuilders under pressure as lofty mortgages deter first-time buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Midcap firms Bellway (BWY.L) and Crest Nicholson (CRST.L) have also pointed to high mortgage rates hampering demand from first-time buyers. Even a potential revival of the government's 'Help to Buy' scheme, which offered incentives to first-time buyers, will not be enough to improve affordability, analysts have said. Persimmon (PSN.L), one of Britain's biggest homebuilders heavily exposed to first-time buyers compared to its FTSE 100 peers, has offered new customers a "10 months mortgage free" deal. Still, the housing sector faces an uncertain path to recovery, given the ultra-elevated mortgage rate levels. Meanwhile, investors will look out for updates on demand when a couple of high-profile homebuilders report half-year results next month.

Persons: Barratt, BDEV.L, Nicholson, Steve Turner, Bellway, Peel Hunt, Sam Cullen, housebuilders, Cullen, Persimmon, Rob Perrins, Jeremy Hunt, Aynsley Lammin, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sweta Singh, Saumyadeb Organizations: Berkeley, Reuters, Home Builders Federation, Bank of, Times, Housing, Thomson Locations: Berkeley, England, Wales, Bank of England, Bengaluru

☆ Cooler inflation unleashes monster rally in UK markets, dents pound
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

British annual consumer price inflation fell to a lower than expected 7.9% in June, below a forecast for a decline to 8.2%. June's rate was a long way off last October's 41-year high of 11.1%, but far above the BoE's 2% target rate. "Some good news on UK inflation at last, coming in below expectations for June and most importantly the core inflation rate fell more than thought," Neil Birrell, who is chief investment officer at Premier Miton Investors, said. British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said there was still a long way to go to reduce inflation towards target. Meanwhile, interest-rate derivatives showed traders no longer believe UK rates will have to rise above 6% to temper inflation.

Persons: Barratt, Taylor Wimpey, Neil Birrell, Sterling, Jeremy Hunt, Hunt, Jeremy Batstone, Carr, Raymond James, Danilo Masoni, Alun John, Dhara Ranasinghe, Andrew Organizations: Reuters, Premier Miton Investors, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: United States, European, Milan

The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) ended 0.6% higher, extending gains to the fifth straight day, its longest winning streak in nearly three months. Rate-sensitive technology stocks (.SX8P) were the top gainers on STOXX 600, jumping 1.7%, with IT provider Softcat (SCTS.L) advancing 5.3% after Citi raised it to "buy". Also supporting STOXX 600 were miners (.SXPP) rising 1.7%, as commodity prices won support from a weaker dollar. [MET/l]A faster-than-expected slowdown in U.S. inflation reinforced bets that the Fed could end its rate hikes soon after July. Shares of Swatch (UHR.S) rose 6.9% after the watchmaker reported record growth in the first half of the year.

Persons: Barratt, Pierre Veyret, Chris Zaccarelli, Matteo Allievi, Shreyashi Sanyal, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Janane Venkatraman, William Maclean Organizations: Federal, Citi, ActivTrades, Independent, Alliance, Swatch, Thomson Locations: Tech, U.S, Gdansk, Amruta, Bangalore

☆ European shares edge higher, but mixed data limit gains
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 13 (Reuters) - European shares edged higher on Thursday as U.S. inflation data fuelled hopes that the Federal Reserve was on the brink of ending its post-pandemic tightening cycle, although a raft of mixed economic data limited further upside. The pan-European STOXX 600 index (.STOXX) edged up 0.1% by 0708 GMT. Keeping a lid on risk sentiment was weak trade data from China, while on the other hand, Britain's economy contracted less than expected in May. Industrial stocks (.SXNP), which are sensitive to China-related news, were the biggest drags in the index. Reporting by Matteo Allievi in Gdansk and Amruta Khandekar in Bangalore; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Barratt, Matteo Allievi, Sherry Jacob, Phillips Organizations: Federal, Swatch, Thomson Locations: China, Gdansk, Amruta, Bangalore

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) - Britain's largest homebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) warned it would build far fewer homes this fiscal year as rising mortgage rates and stubborn inflation hit demand, sending its shares down more than 5% in early trading on Thursday. The FTSE 100-listed firm said it expected to build between 13,250 to 14,250 units in the year ending June 30, 2024, down from 17,206 homes the year before. Average two-year fixed mortgage rates hit a 15-year high earlier this week. Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said Thursday's trading update underlined the impact of rising rates on homebuyers, construction firms and other businesses linked to the housing market. High-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKGH.L) last month forecast a 20% drop in house build sales for its current fiscal year.

Persons: Barratt, Julie Palmer, Begbies Traynor, Suban Abdulla, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Kate Holton, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Thomson Locations: London, Bengaluru

☆ UK's Barratt looks to boost revenue with $212.6 mln homes sale deal with Citra
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 30 (Reuters) - Barratt Developments (BDEV.L) on Friday said it had agreed to sell 604 homes to Lloyds' (LLOY.L) private rental subsidiary Citra Living for 168.4 million pounds ($212.57 million) in cash, as Britain's largest housebuilder looks to diversify revenue. About 500 of the homes will be transferred to Citra's ownership by June 2024, while the remaining homes will be transferred the following year, Barratt said. The sale comes as the UK housing sector braces for a slower recovery due to persistent interest rate hikes which are set to hurt demand. Britain's biggest mortgage lender Lloyds launched its private rental business, Citra Living, in 2021 in a bid to find new revenue sources. "Our goal at Citra is to bring much needed high quality homes to the UK rental market ... Our partnership with Barratt helps us achieve that goal," Citra Managing Director Andy Hutchinson said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Barratt, David Thomas, Andy Hutchinson, Eva Mathews, Rashmi Aich, Jason Neely Organizations: Barratt, Lloyds, Bank of England, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ British home prices to slip but won't come crashing down, Reuters poll shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Jonathan Cable | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Partly finished houses are seen on a new housing development under construction in Liverpool, Britain June 2, 2023. Yes, prices will fall this year but by single digits," said Tony Williams at consultancy Building Value. From peak to trough home prices will fall 7.5%, the median in the poll showed. "Persistent core inflation and wage pressures will prevent the Bank of England from cutting interest rates until 2024, which means mortgage rates won't fall any further until next year," said Andrew Wishart at Capital Economics. (For other stories from the Reuters quarterly housing market polls:)Reporting by Jonathan Cable; polling by Mumal Rathore and Anitta Sunil; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Phil Noble, Tony Williams, Andrew Wishart, BoE, Michael McGill, Barratt, Russell Quirk, Jonathan Cable, Mumal Rathore, Anitta Sunil, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Bank of England, Capital Economics, Nationwide, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, Britain's, London

☆ Tesco chair Allan to step down after inappropriate behaviour claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

However, prior to Friday's update from Tesco, Allan was due to seek re-election at the June 16 annual general meeting (AGM). Tesco said that pending the appointment of a new chairman, senior independent director Byron Grote will become interim chair and will chair the AGM. Earlier this month, the Guardian newspaper reported that Allan was facing claims of inappropriate behaviour from four women. Three of these allegations are vigorously denied by Allan, and for the other Allan unreservedly apologised for a comment he made, Tesco said. "While we have received no complaints about John's conduct and made no findings of wrongdoing, these allegations risk becoming a distraction to Tesco," Grote said.

☆ Insurance tech company says it prefers palladium to platinum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailInsurance tech company says it prefers palladium to platinumJonathan Barratt of CelsiusPro explains why palladium offers "better value."

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