Author: Jordan

A near 25% increase in mortgage activity in the first quarter of 2025 was driven by a 46% increase in remortgaging as “rafts of borrowers” continue to come off ultra-low pandemic era mortgage products, according to the latest Mortgage Market Briefing from Stonebridge.  The brokerage network says the surge was due to large number of home owners coming to the end of five-year fixed deals taken out when the property market re-opened post-pandemic and effective interest rates on new mortgage borrowing fell to just 1.85%. March 2021 also saw the anticipated cliff edge, when SDLT was due to increase with…

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun Chief Economist at SPM Professionals, Paul Alaje, has raised concerns over reports of unbudgeted government spending, warning that any expenditure outside legislative approval could undermine fiscal discipline and transparency. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Alaje described the allegations of off-budget spending as “worrisome” and said such claims, if proven, should concern all stakeholders. His comments follow the controversy surrounding the recent Nigeria Development Update (NDU) by the World Bank last week, which sparked debate over possible hidden or poorly-disclosed government expenditures. The Federal Government has, however, dismissed…

The privacy-focused crypto wallet Mixin announced today the launch of its U-based perpetual contract (a derivative priced in USDT). Unlike traditional exchanges, Mixin has taken a new approach by “liberating” derivative trading from isolated matching engines and embedding it into the instant messaging environment.Users can directly open positions within the app with leverage of up to 200x, while sharing positions, discussing strategies, and copy trading within private communities. Trading, social interaction, and asset management are integrated into the same interface.Simplified Trading Experience: No KYC Required, Opening a Position in Five StepsBased on its non-custodial architecture, Mixin has eliminated friction from…

Lydian has launched a co-branded Visa Platinum card issued by Rain, allowing users to spend more than 300 digital assets at over 150 million merchants worldwide. Available as both a physical card and an instant-issue virtual card, it can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, including in shops, online and through mobile payments. Users can manage accounts and track transactions through an app and online services. The launch reflects a broader push to make digital assets usable for everyday payments rather than treating them mainly as investments. Backed by Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald, Lydian is targeting consumers who hold stablecoins…

Intellectual property officials and major multinational companies, on Monday, praised China”s efforts to strengthen its IP protection system, saying the improvements will support sustainable innovation, particularly in key technologies, as the country pledged to further enhance its IP ecosystem. The remarks were made at the main event of China’s National IP Publicity Week in Beijing, which focused on strengthening IP protection in emerging sectors and accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. In a written speech, Wang Binying, deputy director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, said frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, biotechnology and nanotechnology…

This comes ahead of the rollout of the Renters’ Rights Act on May 1 which promises to improve tighten regulations on UK landlords Want LBC stories before everyone else? Set us as your Preferred Source on Google Landlords have expressed concern around the rollout of the Renters’ Rights Act on May 1. Picture: Alamy Landlords are racing to pay off their mortgage debts and change over to interest-only deals as borrowing costs are pushed up by the Iran War. Four in 10 landlords renegotiating interest-only deals have paid off around £30,100 towards their loan since January to keep monthly payments…

Overall Earnings Trend and Market Cap Analysis The latest quarter saw a notable jump in the proportion of companies delivering positive earnings surprises, rising to 58.0% from 46.0% in the previous quarter. This marks the highest positivity rate in the last four quarters, reflecting an improving earnings environment. The trend is particularly pronounced among mid cap stocks, where 72.0% of companies reported positive results, followed by small caps at 60.0%. Large caps lagged behind with only 38.0% positive results, indicating a divergence in performance across market capitalisation segments. This disparity suggests that mid and small cap companies are currently better…

“Emerging Impressions: The Future of Taos Art” features student art at Sliver 815 The Taos News Source link

New Found Gold announced a $205 million finance package on April 20, 2026, comprising a $100 million bought deal equity financing at $2.96 per share and a $105 million senior secured credit facility with EdgePoint Investment Group to fund Queensway Phase I initial capital expenditures.The bought deal involves 33.8 million shares with a 15% over-allotment option, co-led by BMO Capital Markets and SCP Resource Finance LP, with lead orders from EdgePoint and cornerstone investor Eric Sprott.The credit facility advances in two tranches ($70 million Tranche 1 and $35 million Tranche 2) with an 8.75% fixed annual interest rate, a three-year…

By Aislinn Keely ( April 20, 2026, 8:10 PM EDT) — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday proposed relaxing certain reporting requirements for hedge funds and other private fund advisers by allowing smaller firms to forego filing a disclosure used to monitor systemic risk and nixing some of its questions around volatility, event reporting and indirect exposure altogether…. Law360 is on it, so you are, too. A Law360 subscription puts you at the center of fast-moving legal issues, trends and developments so you can act with speed and confidence. Over 200 articles are published daily across more than…