Monty’s Mortgage Blog

Category Archives: Economic Recovery

Does anyone really care about the base rate anymore?

Let’s face it; there is more chance of Sepp Blatter becoming the next England manager than the Bank of England changing their rate from the 0.5% low at present. But as has been the case for many a month now, the rate itself is not the real issue, it is everything else that is happening around it and boy there is a lot going on.

The Euro turmoil is starting to affect the biggest countries in the EU now, and for the first time in around a decade the UK is now able to borrow on cheaper terms than Germany. German 10 year government debt rates increased to 2.21% whilst the UK, relishing it’s new found “safe-haven” status, sits at a mere 2.16%.

Also posted in Bank Base Rate, Best Fixed Rates, Best Mortgage Rates, Coreco, European Union, GDP Figures, Large Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Brokers in London, Professional Mortgage Brokers, Remortgage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stick or Let’s Twist Again

As politicians all over the world wonder how the hell they are going to get out of the mire that surrounds them, we are beginning to see options taken that are provoking a great deal of debate. The latest is the US’s Operation Twist.

First tried back in 1961 as an “experiment” whose results are still disputed, this involves the Fed selling short-term bonds and, here’s the twist, replacing them with longer term ones. The result is that as more long-term bonds are purchased interest rates should fall, (it’s a supply and demand thing, sort of).

Also posted in Coreco, European Union, First Time Buyers, Interest Rates, Large Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Advice, Mortgage Blog, Mortgage Brokers in London, Mortgage Rates, Mortgages, Politics, Property Market, The Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Half A Glass…

At a time when negative headlines dominate the economic landscape it is hard not to notice that consumer confidence has taken a battering in recent weeks. Talk of a double-dip recession is on many economists’ lips and whether this is caused by a struggling manufacturing sector, a European crisis that is nowhere near over or issues in the US, China or whatever, the myriad of reasons being thrown up by all and sundry has almost become unimportant to the consumer.

In truth the average consumer still feels like nothing has really changed, the technicalities of a recession are unimportant, it is how they feel and for most, things still feel tight.

Also posted in Bank Base Rate, Best Fixed Rates, Best Mortgage Rates, Building Societies, Coreco, First Time Buyers, Independent Mortgage Advice, Large Mortgage Loans, Mortgage Blog, Mortgage Brokers in London, Mortgage Market, Property Market, The Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Panic, Pike!

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the financial markets…!

The news headlines are screaming from this morning papers that all is not well, traders are pictured with head-in-hands alongside graphs dropping off a cliff and Mr Peston is everywhere again – sounds like a preview of Credit Crunch 2 – Revenge of the Markets?

Looking back at the blog postings that were written during the heady days of the 1st crises there are many similarities. Back then the speculation went from bank to bank until the pressure became too much and one by one banks were rescued. There was then a brief lull, some began to believe we were out of the woods and then there was Lehman’s.

Also posted in Best Mortgage Rates, Coreco, Credit Crunch, European Union, House Prices, Mortgage Blog, Mortgage Finance, Mortgage Market, Politics, The Economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Is A “Mortgage TweetMeet” ?

Since engaging with the Twittersphere back in early February 2009 I have been amazed at how far it has come and the amount of people I have conversed with. True, it took me a long time to get to grips with and to understand how it can be used properly for business purposes, but a bit of perseverance is now paying off.

Of course there have been many detractors, the piss-takers and technologically inept who continue to see social media as a waste of time.

Also posted in Coreco, Credit Crunch, Independent Mortgage Advice, Mortgage Advice, Mortgage Brokers in London, Mortgage TweetMeet, Property Market, Social Media, The Economy, Twitter | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment