Author: Jordan

Australia’s Reserve Bank has been accused of driving some of the deeply entrenched inflation it has been trying to tame via interest rate hikes, with new research showing rises in households’ living costs have far outpaced official CPI figures. The research from Airteam and Primara Research revealed that CPI no longer truly represented the increases in prices and goods people pay because the figures do not capture rises in housing costs or the challenges created by poor housing affordability. The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, is the primary metric the Reserve Bank uses to guide its monetary policy, with the…

12:01 AM, 22nd July 2026, 6 minutes ago Landlords looking to strengthen returns may find the latest regional rental yield figures interesting. Paragon Bank’s lending data shows the average gross yield reached 7.02% by the end of June, up from 6.96% at the close of the first quarter. Its Q2 2026 Buy to Let Yields report records a longer rise from 5.84% in 2021, following the end of the Covid lockdowns. Scotland produced the largest quarterly increase, with yields rising by 0.53 percentage points to 7.97%. Yields continue growing Paragon’s managing director of mortgages, Louisa Sedgwick, said: “The second quarter…

Consumers are watching their spending more closely, but they are not giving up the financial leeway that credit can provide. That is the larger trend emerging from recent PYMNTS Intelligence research, and new Federal Reserve Bank of New York data adds another piece of evidence. The share of consumers who applied for credit during the previous 12 months reached 46.1% in June, up from 44.4% in February and the highest level since October 2021, per the central bank reflecting June’s trends. The rejection rate increased slightly to 16.1%, but remained well below the 23.1% recorded a year earlier. The numbers…

BondsJanuary-June tally reaches $6.8bn as investors look to curb equities risksJapanese chip testing equipment maker Advantest raised 100 billion yen using convertible bonds in April. (Photo by Shintaro Ino)TOKYO — Companies in Japan have sharply increased their issuance of convertible bonds, approaching a level not seen in more than two decades as foreign investors pour in money to avoid risks from trading stocks. Source link

Kutak Rock LLP served as bond counsel in connection with the issuance by the Development Authority of Fulton County of approximately $144 million of its Student Housing Revenue Bonds (Madrone-MS Student Housing I, LLC Project), Series 2026, the proceeds of which were loaned to Madrone-MS Student Housing I, LLC, the sole member of which is Madrone Community Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) organization, for the purpose of financing the costs of constructing new student housing facilities consisting of approximately 800 beds to be located immediately adjacent to the campuses of Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.  Each of the…

Scotland, West Midlands and Yorkshire lead growthScotland, West Midlands and Yorkshire led yield growth in the second quarter, with strong performance in those regions driving up overall gross rental yields to 7.02% by the end of June, up from 6.96% at the end of Q1 and 5.84% in 2021.Paragon Bank’s Q2 Buy-to-Let Yields Report data showed that by region Scotland saw the strongest growth over the quarter, rising by 53 percentage points (pp) to 7.97%. Yields in the West Midlands rose 24pp to 7.24%, while landlords in Yorkshire & Humber saw yields increase by 21pp to 7.58%.However, the sharpest decline…

Nothing to note.Stage 2Pablo Castrillo and DS Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar Team) fined 200CHF and 500CHF respectively for sticky bottleMechanic Bostian Kavcnik (UAE Team Emirates – XRG) fined 500CHF and handed Yellow Card for “irregular assistance of rider”Stage 3Daan Hoole and DS Luke Rowe (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) fined 200CHF and 500CHF respectively for sticky bottleClement Braz Afonso and DS Yvon Caer (Groupama – FDJ United) fined 200CHF and 500CHF respectively for sticky bottleDS Sebastian Hinault (Cofidis) fined 200CHF for “inappropriate behaviour” (Non-compliance with the article 2.3.025 by a team assistant during feeding)DS Patxi Vila (Red Bull – BORA…

United Trust Bank Mortgages has introduced a package of buy-to-let criteria changes aimed at helping brokers place a broader range of landlord cases. The changes, which took effect yesterday (July 20), include longer mortgage terms, day-one remortgages and wider access to finance for landlords purchasing HMOs and multi-unit blocks. Maximum mortgage terms have increased to 30 years, while the minimum property ownership period has been removed, enabling landlords to remortgage from the first day of ownership. UTB has also removed its previous landlord experience requirement for HMOs with up to six bedrooms and multi-unit blocks containing up to four units.…

A buyer’s agent is furious about the increased use of AI in real estate listings, which he claims is misleading Aussie buyers and renters.”I’ve started to see AI just out of control,” Dion Marsden told Yahoo News.Over time, the Melbourne-based agent said he’s noticed people have begun using AI far too liberally to create images for properties, to the point where many listings have become unreliable.  “Now it’s progressing into virtual staging and… completely manipulating photos to make houses look as if they’ve been refreshed or updated or painted, or the flooring’s been done when it just hasn’t been,” he explained.A…

Banco Afirme and fintech developer Monibyte have launched a joint corporate Visa credit card and automated expense management platform in Mexico to digitize business spending and corporate oversight. The strategic alliance reflects growing demand among Mexican enterprises to replace manual financial processes with real-time transaction tracking, automated accounting integration, and policy compliance tools. The entry of specialized B2B fintech solutions into traditional commercial banking networks accelerates the digital transformation of corporate treasury operations across Mexico’s middle-market and enterprise sectors.——Banco Afirme and financial technology provider Monibyte launched the Monibyte Afirme Visa corporate credit card in Mexico, introducing an integrated digital platform designed…