1.52m home sales forecast

Home sale boom forecast

Zoopla is projecting 1.52m home sales in 2021 - a rise of 45% on 2020. They claim their forecast is based on the largest underlying data sample of any UK house price index. Last week the Office for National Statistics reported that UK house prices had increased by 10.2% in a year. Demand for family houses outside of London is exerting upward pressure on prices.

Banks bad for climate

Greenpeace research suggests finance is one of the biggest contributors to climate change in the UK. The report claims that if the City of London were a country, it would be the ninth biggest emitter of CO2, ahead of Germany. Campaigners say without proper regulation, financial institutions are not required to align their activities with the UK’s climate commitments.

Bitcoin ad banned

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a high-profile campaign that featured heavily across London’s transport network, which ran with the strapline “If you’re seeing Bitcoin on the underground, it’s time to buy”. The ASA received complaints that the ads failed to illustrate the risks, and were therefore misleading. The ban comes a week after Bitcoin prices plunged as much as 30% in a day.

Personal finance struggles

A new study suggests that young people are more likely to use social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to access financial advice than go to a bank. Nearly half of 16-24 year olds wouldn’t say they were confident with their finances, and one in 10 claim to have no confidence at all. Just a fifth knew what an overdraft was, and only 5 per cent claimed to know the meaning of arrears.