Homebuyers pay record high

Achieving asking price

37% of homes that changed hands in January 2021 were sold at or above their asking price, according to Rightmove. That’s a record high - usually only around 1 in 4 sellers achieve their asking price. Even homes that sold for below asking price in January achieved 98% of the amount the seller was hoping for, on average.

Green list

Ibiza, Majorca, Malta and Madeira are among the 16 new holiday spots added to the green list for travel. From Wednesday, you can travel there without needing to quarantine for 10 days on the way home. Travel bosses say the changes don’t go far enough and question why destinations such as the Canary Islands and Greece remain amber.

Inflation warning

The Bank of England has warned that inflation will break 3% this year as the economy reopens further - but only temporarily. For now, the Bank has decided to keep its stimulus pumping into the economy and hold the base rate at its record low of 0.1%. That means no increase to loan or mortgage rates - for now.

Ethnic pay gap

Business lobby groups, trades unions, and the human rights watchdog have called for ethnicity pay gap reporting. In a letter to Michael Gove, they say mandatory reporting of pay disparities would help to spark action by employers. Big companies have had to report on their gender pay gap since 2017. The data has exposed differences in pay between men and women and the lack of women in senior roles.