Higher demand for homes

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Demand for property

Estate agent Knight Frank has said demand for homes is rising faster than supply. The number of new buyers registering in July was 94% higher than average, while new property listings saw a 54% uplift.

Adviser comment - "This surge of interest from buyers is to be expected with coronavirus restrictions being lifted and the recently announced Stamp Duty holiday. Higher demand may push up prices in the short-term but it’s likely to level off within a short period of time."

90-minute testing

New coronavirus tests will be rolled out next week which give a result in just 90 minutes. The tests will be available in care homes and labs to start with. The government wants to make 500,000 tests available every day by October, to combat the feared second wave of cases.

Meal deal month begins

You can get a half price meal out today as the chancellor’s “eat out to help out” scheme kicks off. Diners can get 50% off the food bill, up to £10 per person - no discount on drinks. Over 72,000 restaurants are taking part throughout August including Pizza Express and Nando’s.

Microsoft buying TikTok?

Trump has allegedly given Microsoft 45 days to negotiate buying TikTok, the blockbuster video app. As tensions rise between the US and China, Trump said on Friday that he wanted to ban TikTok (currently owned by Chinese company ByteDance) over data security fears. That’s when Microsoft piped up about acquiring the app, which has 100 million US users.