Bloomberg Demand for London homes under construction slumped by 33 percent in the first quarter as a new tax on overseas buyers and high values damped demand. The number of homes sold prior to completion in the U.K. capital fell to 5,947 from a record high of 8,927 a year earlier, according to data compiled by Molior London that ...

  Bloomberg U.K. house prices climbed to a record in April as demand from landlords in the previous month created knock-on effects through the property market, according to Rightmove Plc. Average asking prices rose 1.3 percent from March to 307,033 pounds ($437,000), the property website operator said in a report published Monday. It left values 7.3 percent higher than a ...

  Bloomberg Immofinanz AG and CA Immobilien Anlagen AG plan to merge in a transaction that would create the biggest commercial property group in central and eastern Europe, following a hostile takeover battle that ended without a deal last year. Immofinanz agreed to buy a 26 percent stake in CA Immo from Russian billionaire Boris Mints’s O1 Group Ltd. in ...

  Bloomberg Canadians are looking past signs of damage from low energy prices and predicting the housing surge will continue. According to weekly polling by Nanos Research, the share of respondents expecting higher real estate prices reached the most since December 2014 last week, or 38.7%. That pushed the Bloomberg Nanos Consumer Confidence Index to 54.7 last week, the highest ...

  Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd. fell the most in more than two years after Australia’s largest carrier cut its planned domestic capacity expansion as the prospect of a federal election and a drop in consumer confidence weigh on demand. The shares fell as much as 14 percent and were trading 11.6 percent lower at A$3.59 in Sydney, the biggest intraday ...

  Bloomberg Padenga Holdings Ltd., the world’s largest supplier of Nile crocodile skins for luxury handbags and shoes, is seeking to boost profitability by feeding the aquatic reptiles a corn-rich diet and allowing them more space to grow. The company’s biggest market for hides is Italy, the home of luxury goods makers including Prada Spa, which sells a crocodile and ...

  COPENHAGEN / REUTERS Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) announced last week that it had agreed to buy Irish leasing company Aldus Aviation, which manages a fleet of 30 jets. However, no financial details were disclosed by the company. Denmark-based NAC, the world’s largest turboprop lessor recently announced its expansion into regional jet leasing with the purchase of Jetscape, another jet ...

  Bloomberg Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s finance affiliate is planning an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on Shanghai’s main board in what could be China’s highest IPO valuation since 2010, according to two people familiar with the matter. Zhejiang Ant Small & Micro Financial Services Group Co. has been profitable for three years, enabling it to meet the listing requirements, and ...

  Bloomberg Airbus Group SE is setting up its second academy to train pilots in Asia, where a rash of startup airlines and new aircraft coming in is causing a surge in demand for captains and first officers. Airbus is opening the center in Singapore in partnership with Singapore Airlines Ltd. The facility — with eight simulators — will add ...

Bloomberg The largest Philippine seller of luxury brands such as Jimmy Choo shoes and Prada handbags says investors and analysts should temper earnings expectations, with competition among retailers squeezing margins – even as consumer spending shows no signs of letting up. Intensifying competition for consumers will cap sales growth, SSI Group Inc. President Anthony Huang said in an interview. Profit ...