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☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ House prices are falling and rents are rising in the UK. These 2 stocks will benefit, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Falling house prices and rising rents are expected to benefit two U.K. stocks focused on the private rented sector: The PRS REIT PLC and Grainger PLC , according to stock analysts. Those contrary trends of declining house prices and surging rents have created a favorable environment for companies owning rental housing — like PRS REIT and Grainger. Jefferies has forecast 9% rental growth for PRS REIT in 2023, while Berenberg expects continued "strong organic rental growth to result in continued earnings growth, despite increasing finance costs." The investment banks also pointed to high occupancy rates for the two landlords: 97-98% for PRS REIT and 98.7% for Grainger. PRS REIT shares have dropped 21% in the past year, far above the 2.1% decline for the FTSE 250 index.

Persons: Grainger, PRS REIT, Jefferies, Berenberg, Numis, Mike Prew Organizations: PRS REIT PLC, Grainger PLC, National Statistics, PRS, PRS REIT, Grainger Locations: 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

☆ 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

☆ Vistry flags tough housing market, reiterates profit forecast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 20 (Reuters) - British homebuilder Vistry Group (VTYV.L) on Thursday joined its bigger rivals in flagging an intensifying slowdown in the housing market but retained its annual profit forecast, reflecting resilience in its key affordable homes business. The FTSE 250 (.FTMC) firm, which works with local authorities and housing associations to build affordable homes, expects adjusted pre-tax profit for the year ending Dec. 31 to be in excess of 450 million pounds. Vistry, which is typically better insulated against housing market shocks as demand for affordable housing is high, said it was able to mitigate the slowdown in the market through bulk transactions in both its Partnerships and Housebuilding businesses. However, the group said its Housebuilding business, which is similar to its rivals' operations, had faced "more challenging market conditions" in the half-year period with the broader macro-economic challenges particularly impacting first-time buyers. Reporting by Suban Abdulla in London and Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Greg Fitzgerald, Suban Abdulla, Aby Jose Koilparambil, Sonia Cheema, Kate Holton Organizations: Vistry, Thursday, FTSE, Bank of England, British, Countryside, Thomson Locations: British, London, Bengaluru

☆ Stocks and bonds reflect fears of Powell embracing his inner hawk
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Lawrence White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Housebuilders (.FTNMX402020) declined 3% at one point as the prospect of more rate increases raised fresh concerns about mortgage costs. The U.S. dollar was firmer ahead of Powell's congressional testimony, with the dollar index up 0.1% at 102.62. Minutes of the central bank's last meeting showed only one of nine board members suggested reconsidering its policy of keeping bond yields low, and even then suggested it was best to wait a while. Rising interest rates and higher bond yields have been a burden for gold, which was pinned at $1,934 an ounce , just above last week's three-month low of $1,924.99. The Brent benchmark edged down 4 cents to $75.86 a barrel while U.S. crude lost 3 cents to $71.16.

Persons: Toby, Powell, Jerome Powell, Tapas Strickland, Jerry del Missier, doggedly, Lawrence White, Wayne Cole, Jacqueline Wong, Lincoln, Alex Richardson, David Goodman Organizations: London Stock Exchange Group, REUTERS, . Federal, NAB, Nasdaq, Copper, BRITAIN Investors ramped, Bank of, U.S, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: City, London, Britain, Beijing, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Bank of England

That threw a new curveball at UK markets, as just last week economists polled by Reuters had unanimously expected the BoE to raise by 25 basis points. I would not be surprised if we see a 50-bp rate rise from the Bank of England tomorrow." Other analysts said delivering a larger rate rise on Thursday risked further undermining the BoE's messaging. Bets on where BoE rate hikes might peak rose as high as 6% on Wednesday. The rise in yields hit UK housebuilders (.FTNMX402020), which were down as much as 3.1%.

Persons: BoE, Melanie Baker, Liz, Nick Rees, Richard McGuire, Rabobank's McGuire, Yoruk Bahceli, William Schomberg, Dhara Ranasinghe, Danilo Masoni, Alun John, Peter Graff Organizations: Bank of England, Reuters, Royal London Asset Management, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Wednesday's, MPC, FX, Monex, Rabobank, Sterling, Thomson Locations: Monex Europe

☆ UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey sees improving buyer confidence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - British housebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc (TW.L) said on Thursday buyer interest has risen over the past few months, helped by an improvement in sales and mortgage rates, even as the group remained cautious over broader economic woes. Daly, however, said the company remained cautious over continued macroeconomic uncertainty. Taylor Wimpey said its total order book value - a key measure that gauges near-term demand - stood at about 2.38 billion pounds ($2.97 billion) in the reported period, up from 2.15 billion pounds seen in the first two months of the year. Taylor Wimpey's bigger rival Persimmon (PSN.L) said on Wednesday trading over recent weeks had offered some signs of encouragement, with cancellation levels normalising and sales rates steadily improving since the start of the year. ($1 = 0.8019 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane VenkatramanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK's Bellway to buy back shares, hike social housing output
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chief Executive Jason Honeyman told Reuters the company started hastening construction in its social housing programme in October after a demand slump. Honeyman said homes built in the programme would make up more than quarter of overall output in the fiscal year ending on July 31. Bellway, which builds everything from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes and luxury penthouses, said there was a moderate improvement in bookings since January. Bellway shares edged up about 1% in morning trade. ($1=0.8121 pounds)Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK house prices slide further but market pessimism eases: RICS
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Suban Abdulla | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) house price balance, which measures the difference between the percentage of surveyors seeing rises and falls in house prices, fell to -48 in February from -46 the previous month - the lowest reading since April 2009. While Thursday's survey still showed the housing market firmly in decline, some measures indicated that a more stable picture was emerging in 2023, RICS said. Tarrant Parsons, senior economist at RICS, said he expected housing market activity to remain subdued over the coming months. "Given the ongoing weakness in demand, house prices remain on a downward trajectory, and are expected to see further falls through the first half of the year at least," Parsons said. In contrast, another lender, Nationwide, last week said house prices dropped by the most in more than 10 years in February.

☆ Kakao can end K-pop saga with near-$1 bln mic drop
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Kakao and its entertainment arm are eyeing a 35% stake in SM via a tender offer worth $962 million. If Kakao succeeds, the company, which has the backing of SM's management, would become the label's top shareholder. Kakao Entertainment in January raised $930 million from investors including GIC in Singapore and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The envisioned partnership between Kakao, Kakao Entertainment and SM would cover global distribution, production and more for music and other content. Following Kakao's offer, SM Shares rallied 14% to 148,400 won ($114); they have nearly doubled since the start of the year.

☆ US blacklisting is no match for TikTok virality
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The United States’ web of trade restrictions has a TikTok-sized hole in it. The Commerce Department added another 28 Chinese firms to its trade blacklist on Thursday, requiring licenses to acquire U.S. wares. Yet social media app TikTok, which government officials have repeatedly voiced national security concerns over, hasn’t been hit with trade curbs. TikTok parent ByteDance is based in China and has eluded that list, largely because the Commerce Department’s tools affect hard goods, not software. Meanwhile, negotiations between U.S. regulators and TikTok over a security deal have dragged on for years.

☆ UniCredit finds costly fix for faulty CEO pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UniCredit shares are up 75% over the last twelve months, against 22% for the STOXX Europe 600 Banks Index. To give Orcel an incentive to beat his goals again, and to keep the pay-conscious dealmaker happy, UniCredit tweaked the package. It hiked his fixed pay to 3.25 million euros but changed the way the bonus will be allocated. If Orcel hits new and more challenging targets he will earn a bonus of 4.25 million euros, lower than last year’s payout, paid all in stock. But if he overshoots again, he could get up to 9.75 million euros.

☆ UK housebuilders face slow and painful refurb
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters Breakingviews) - UK housebuilding is facing a bleak future. In previous slowdowns, the UK’s Conservative Party bailed out the sector with packages like Help to Buy, which subsidized mortgages to help buyers. After Wednesday’s 9% share price decline, it’s share price is now worth less than half of what it was before the outbreak of Covid-19. With little help on the horizon, UK housebuilders face a slow and painful rebuild. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Britain's housing market has slowed markedly in recent months as higher mortgage rates and broader economic concerns deter buyers. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) company proposed a final dividend of 60 pence per share for fiscal 2022 as per its new capital allocation policy. Persimmon has paid an annual dividend of 235 pence per share for the last five fiscal years except one, when pandemic lockdowns disrupted operations. Analysts had said in January that British housebuilders might cut dividends to preserve cash and ride out the property downturn. Persimmon stock slid as much as 10% to a near seven-week low of 1,310 pence and was the top percentage loser on the blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) index.

☆ Insulin cuts make drug prices a little less bazaar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

If drug companies don’t play along, insurance companies will go elsewhere. The list price of Sanofi’s (SASY.PA) insulins rose 143% between 2012 and 2021, but the net price fell 54%. Amgen (AMGN.O) offered an autoimmune disease drug earlier this year with two prices. American politicians have been pressuring drug companies to lower prices, and President Joe Biden welcomed the move. In theory, lower list prices mean everyone pays less out of pocket at the pharmacy.

Feb 28 (Reuters) - British housebuilders Persimmon (PSN.L) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.L) publish full-year earnings this week with analysts seeking to establish whether a protracted sector downturn is on the cards. Analysts, therefore, will be focusing on sales updates within Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey's annual results statements on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. The two companies are expected to report a slight improvement to full-year earnings, but trading statements last month said their order books were down year on year. The focus in this week's earnings statements will be sales trends and pricing, said Aynsley Lammin, equity research analyst at Investec Bank. Barratt (BDEV.L), meanwhile, has cut its mid-year dividend by 9% as housebuilders increasingly look to preserve cash.

☆ Analysis: UK housebuilders may cut dividends as surging rates deter buyers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ajose Koilparambil | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The big, listed UK housebuilders have paid dividends worth 2.2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) for their respective last financial years. Potential cuts in dividends would weigh down on shares of housebuilders, after the sector index (.FTNMX402020) slumped more than 44% in 2022. Among the FTSE 100 builders, analysts are now forecasting dividend cuts from many firms, particularly those whose payouts are linked to earnings growth. High-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKGH.L) stuck to its cash-return plans, but cut its earnings estimates for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. Barratt, Persimmon and Berkeley have said they would be more cautious with land purchases, in a bid to reduce outgoings as falling property prices squeeze margins.

☆ Analysis: Heavily discounted UK Plc may have further to fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Joice Alves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Hani Redha, global multi-asset portfolio manager at U.S. investment firm PineBridge, said that UK valuations do not look cheap when looking at a multi-year timeframe and the "structural issues facing the UK economy". UK stocks (.FTAS) are already trading at a record discount to their global peers (.MIWD00000PUS), Refinitiv data shows, but investors expect new lows next year. UK discountThe domestic-orientated FTSE 250 mid-cap index (.FTMC) has broken three consecutive quarterly declines after new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dumped most of his predecessor's market-crushing fiscal plan. Half of all borrowing by UK non-financial companies is in dollars, totalling about 350 billion pounds ($399.5 billion), according to S&P Global. "Bearing in mind in what state the UK economy is right now, I would stay clear of UK small-caps," he said.

☆ UK stocks hit by weak retail sales, rising yields
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Sruthi Shankar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The blue-chip FTSE 100 index (.FTSE) fell 1.0%, while the midcap FTSE 250 (.FTMC) slipped 1.6%. Truss quit on Thursday after the shortest and most chaotic tenure of any British prime minister, forced out after her unfunded tax cut proposals crashed the pound and sent British borrowing costs soaring. Former finance minister Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt and former prime minister Boris Johnson are among the likely candidates. UK's retail index (.FTNMX404010) fell 4.1%, heading towards a more than two-year low hit last week. read moreMeanwhile, U.S. and European government bond yields surged further as investors priced in aggressive policy tightening by the Federal Reserve.

☆ UK housing index at 11-year low on rate-hike fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Yadarisa Shabong | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterEstate agent signs are seen outside a residential housing in south London, Britain, August 6, 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe housebuilders index fell 6% to hit its lowest level since March 2013. "The weak pound is driving expectations for further rate increases, which means lower house prices," Peel Hunt analyst Sam Cullen said. Shares of Taylor Wimpey hit their lowest since 2014, Persimmon since 2016, and Barratt and Berkeley stocks since March 2020. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Reactions: Britain's finance minister unveils "mini budget"
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Britain's blue-chip stocks (.FTSE)remained mired in the red, in line with a broader equity-market decline. FOREX: Sterling extended losses, falling 1.9% on the day to around $1.1047, having hit a new 37-year low earlier on. British homebuilders and household goods makers hit session highs, buoyed by the prospect of consumers getting tax breaks. The tax-cutting budget and ‘go for broke’ growth aims are unlikely to change the longer-term bearish GBP trend." If you get more fiscal stimulus and less monetary stimulus, that’s something that’s buoyant for the currency.

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