Articles & Updates

The refinancing requirement for UK commercial property investors is expected to climb next year, as extended loans during the pandemic expire. Overall, we expect alternative lenders to further increase market share, in a year when interest rate increases push up borrowing and hedging costs.

The emergence of Omicron, the latest Covid-19 variant, threatens the positive autumn momentum building in the UK labour market. Early indicators suggest only a tiny proportion of the 1.14 million furloughed workers were made redundant after the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) expired. November’s data, published in mid-December, is also expected to show that positive employment trends continued. If true, this confounds fears of rising unemployment at the end of the CJRS. However, the latest pandemic curveball may blunt the positive momentum.

Important information for landlords and tenants

Escalating inflation in the UK economy reached a decade-long high in October, as higher energy prices, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, wage and food price inflation all blunted the economic recovery.

While barely any sector has found itself immune to the effects of the pandemic, the travel industry has arguably faced - and continues to face - greater challenges than most. Even as we look towards emerging from the worst of restrictions on business, challenges continue to plague the industry. While operations have slowly started to resume, trade remains subdued as a cloud of uncertainty dampens demand from cautious would-be travellers.

Pent-up demand in the airline industry might suggest the embattled sector is on the cusp of a recovery. But for every positive indicator, there is a headwind to dampen the optimism. The airline sector's recovery remains fragile, and the embattled global airline industry may still face a harsh winter if a new virus wave emerges.