So sorry Mary Poppins - it IS worth investing in Mr Banks! dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Freedom Day has come and gone, yet many of the nation s workers have not left their home offices. The Government is no longer instructing us to work from home if we can, but expects and recommends a gradual return over the summer.
The truth is, many office workers do not want to go back at all. People s view of the office has changed for ever and they will have to be enticed out of their comfortable working-from-home bubbles, says Richard Williams, property analyst at investment research company QuotedData.
High rise: More people are working from home but quality office space is still in demand
House prices have increased by nearly 11 per cent in the past year – fuelled primarily by the stamp duty holiday, ultra-low borrowing costs, and savings built up by households during the pandemic. Although most homeowners have properties worth more than ever, investors have also participated in this housing boom.
For example, over the past year, shares in Barratt Developments and Persimmon – both constituents of the FTSE100 Index – have risen by 52 and 35 per cent respectively. And while some investment experts warn of a possible housing market correction hitting profits housebuilders make from new builds, most believe the outlook is positive.
Demand for new homes, they say, will continue to be fuelled by an acute shortage of residential property – and also by the desire of many people to take advantage of changing working practices brought about by the pandemic and move to more suburban or rural locations.
Inflation is the topic du jour in global markets and investing. Will it overshoot or won t it? Will it persist or won t it? What will central banks do (or not do) about it?