Infoman

Member since 2017-07-15T03:50:57Z. Last seen 2025-04-09T16:00:01Z.

2754 blog posts. 128 comments.

Followers: 0 Following: 2

Posts by Infoman

• 
  

  Infoman

  日本漫畫「Manga」這個單字相信大家一定不陌生，不過你知道「Manhwa」這個代表韓國漫畫的英文單字，也在去年正式被放入牛津字典嗎？繼K-pop韓星，韓國影視作品如《魷魚遊戲》等風靡全球後，韓國漫畫也蓄勢待發，準備成為下一個席捲全球的韓流風暴。

  事實上，目前全球前10大的網漫公司，其中就有6間來自韓國。不只如此，許多席捲全球的影劇都改編自韓國漫畫，像是《與神同行》、《社內相親》等。另外，爆紅韓劇《非常律師禹英禑》也被反向改編成漫畫。隨著相關影視作品屢創票房及收視新高，韓國網漫儼然成為韓流輸出的新模式，也讓「漫畫大國」這稱號，不再屬於眾人印象中的日本或美國。

  不同於傳統漫畫的翻頁閱讀（又稱「頁漫」），韓國網漫（Webtoon）以垂直閱讀長條漫畫的方式（又稱「條漫」），讓觀看體驗貼近智慧型手機的使用習慣，成功吸引大量平時不看漫畫的用戶，因而培養及擴大網路漫畫的閱讀人口。

  這不只為網漫的規模化打下基礎，也發展出不同於傳統漫畫產業的拓展路徑與商業模式。 韓國兩大網漫入口網站Naver Webtoon和Kakao Page推出的「付費閱讀」，加上平台廣告收入，讓流量得以順利轉為現金流，也帶動整體網漫市場迅速成長。以Naver Webtoon為例，支援英文、中文、泰文和法文等多達十種語言，每月常駐讀者多達8,000萬，其中更有75％來自海外，顯示網漫市場在全球都有商機。

  Kakao Page更將網漫視為開發日本市場的一大利器。該網旗下子公司，日本網漫訂閱服務Piccoma，交易額在2021年達約700億日圓（約3,720億港元）。不但較前一年成長85%，也在當年成為全球收入第3高的非遊戲類APP，僅次於抖音和Youtube。此外，韓國電子書閱讀平臺RIDI也將事業版圖拓展至網漫市場，潛在成長空間使RIDI估值成長至13億美元（約102億港元），成為韓國第一個內容平台獨角獸公司。上述跡象清楚顯示，無論是用戶數還是含金量，這塊網漫市場都不容小覷。

  網漫在韓國和亞洲各地掀起新一波漫畫風潮，但回過頭看，身為漫畫大國的日本，卻尚未出現具代表性的網漫平台。或許這與日本行之有年的漫畫連載體系有關，現時日本大多數漫畫均在紙本週刊上連載。若要換到網漫平台上，不但意味要改變作畫風格，還必須重新經營觀眾。加上在日本看頁漫的觀眾仍屬多數，對日本漫畫產業而言，改變的成本太高，使得日本在新型態的網漫市場中走得較慢。

  韓國網漫的強力輸出滲透全球，讓人再次見識到韓國娛樂文化產業的本事。這件事亦為筆者帶來一個啟發：韓國網漫其實僅是改動了漫畫閱讀習慣的一個環節，便以後起之姿，撬動了傳統上認為難以撼動的漫畫產業。同樣道理應用在各類創新，只要留心觀察生活中待改善的環節，或許就能從中挖掘無限商機。

  2022/11/06
• 
  

  Infoman

  Arthur L. 邀請您參加排程的 Zoom 會議。

  主題：Arthur L.的Zoom會議 時間：2022年11月6日 08:00 下午 香港特別行政區

  加入 Zoom 會議 https://zoom.us/j/96829264775?pwd=Nk1WRGd3KzEwVlM4aSs4SElXenQ3UT09

  會議 ID：968 2926 4775 密碼：974032

  2022/11/06
• 
  

  Infoman

  THE U.K.’S 100 Most Loved Workplacesby Hank Gil­man

  Newsweek 11/11/2022 IT HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IM­POR­TANT FOR COM­PA­NIES TO BOND WITH AND NUR­TURE EM­PLOY­EES. HERE ARE THE BUSI­NESSES IN GREAT BRI­TAIN DO­ING JUST THAT

  IN THE U.K., AS AROUND THE WORLD, THE threat of recession is looming over companies and employees alike. The worry: High inflation and interruptions to the energy

  supply caused by the pandemic and the Ukraine war will cause corporate profits to shrink and spark major layoffs, hurting both the workers who’ve been let go and those who remain behind.

  In this challenging environment, it’s especially important for companies to keep employees motivated and productive, giving them reasons to feel connected to and satisfied with the business they work for. Employers who succeed at this critical task—companies like the ones in our first U.K. edition of Newsweek’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces—are the ones most likely to thrive in the times ahead.

  As with its U.S. counterpart, which was published in October, this collection of small, medium and large companies was produced with our research partner, the Best Practice Institute of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. What separates our list from other workplace rankings is that we get to the bottom of how employees feel about their whole working experience, rather than simply extol company benefits.

  Our bottom line is this: Do workers feel loved— and in sync—with the company they work for?

  That kind of “emotional connection,” as BPI terms it, can mean success for a company. This works for any business, big or small, says BPI founder and CEO Louis Carter, author of In Great Company: How to Spark Peak Performance by Creating an Emotionally Connected Workplace (Mcgraw-hill, 2019). BPI’S research director, Scott Baxt, also points out that employees, research shows, are as much as four times more likely to be more productive if they love their company. Those same workers also tend to stay on the job longer, cutting down on turnover.

  As Baxt explains, the businesses on this, and the U.S. list, “highlight how they have given a voice to all employees and, in return,” have likely been “rewarded with increased productivity and performance.”

  How did the companies make the list? More than 450,000 employees were surveyed at businesses ranging in size from 50 employees to well north of 5,000; some 410 companies were accepted to apply for certification as a “Most Loved Workplace” and nearly 300 made the cut. The top 100 among them were chosen based on several factors that BPI’S research has revealed are most important to employee sentiment and satisfaction, with best practices culled from the employee surveys, interviews with hundreds of company officials and public company rating sites. The criteria included: Is collaboration and teamwork important? Are there opportunities for advancement? Does the company promote understanding and respect within their culture? Are worker values aligned with their company?

  The Top 100

  As in the U.S., flexible work arrangements seem to be entrenched at the companies on the U.K. Most Loved list. Also as with the U.S. list, career development was crucially important to employees at our U.K. companies.

  Virgin Atlantic, this year’s top company, for example, has a special program called “Springboard,” which was created for women who are struggling with work-life balance—an issue whose critical importance was laid bare during the pandemic—and who want to thrive in the corporate world. It was designed to also help Virgin reach a 50/50 gender mix “within our leader population.” Pharma company Perkinelmer (No. 8) has a “Mycareerjourney” portal that lets employees see new jobs at the firm. They’re also matched with the resources needed to develop skills for those jobs.

  BPI’S Carter says that the alignment of employee and company values was crucial as well. “The most mentioned significant words by the companies (in our surveys) were ‘value’ and ‘culture’ with 45 percent of the companies making mention of at least one of those words,” he says. “The companies begin the execution of their culture and value-based systems during the recruitment process.”

  For instance, applicants at Sensat (No. 29), a software firm, have to go through a “values” interview. Financial services firm Wills & Trusts Wealth Management Group (No. 42) requires new hires to

  participate in a four-day culture workshop.

  Will these good feelings last when we survey those companies again next year?

  Not at all clear. Some three years after COVID-19 hit, the workplace is an unpredictable place. Britain is dealing with economic and political woes and who knows what the winter will bring with continued high inflation and fuel shortages looming? A worldwide economic downturn might change the rules of engagement with employers.

  We’d argue, though, that it is more important than ever that companies are willing to change with the times and actively work to meet the evolving needs of the people who work for them. The best employers recognize that and act accordingly, no matter what economic times they’re in.

  We can’t predict the future. But we do know that there are lessons to be derived from our Top 100. If you’re an employee looking to find a firm more aligned with your values, this list can help. If you’re an executive trying to make your firm a better place for your employees to thrive, taking note of the practices of the Top 100 is a good place to start.

  That’s true no matter who is running the U.K.

  ▸ Most Loved Workplaces® is a registered trademark of the Best Practice Institute, Inc., of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

  通過分享 PressReader

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/11/05
• 
  

  Infoman

  https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/where-to-watch-world-cup-london

  2022/11/03
• 
  

  Infoman

  https://sff.thoth.art/days/day1

  2022/11/03
• 
  

  Infoman

  https://www.penningtonslaw.com/news-publications/latest-news/2021/moving-to-the-uk-a-briefing-for-hong-kongers-on-the-uk-s-beneficial-tax-regime-for-overseas-families

  https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/estimate-paye-take-home-pay/your-pay

  2022/11/02
• 
  

  Infoman

  Barclay blue award member

  https://www.barclays.co.uk/savings/interest-rates/rainy-day-saver/

  2022/11/02
• 
  

  Infoman

  Pick the area you think is good.

  Hit Rightmove/Zoopla every single day searching for any property listed in the last 24 hours. It takes 10 minutes each evening. Do endless amounts of research and looking around. You'll soon develop a feel what is a good price/deal. Go and view a lot of places. Ride your bike or walk around the neighborhood.

  Try to buy like a fourth or fifth time buyer not a first time one. Two people looking at the same property First time buyer "oooh this is cheap for a two bed flat" Fourth time buyer "hmmm this is top floor on a busy road, how will I unload anything/get trades to fix stuff? All the windows are north facing, the bedrooms are too small for a standard double bed and a wardrobe or furniture, the building looks in poor repair - who is responsible. Let's come back and look at this property or area in the night, in the morning, on a weekend on a Saturday night etc. Are the neighbours owner occupiers or tenants. How long can I realistically live here before I have to move (kids, family, let's etc)".

  Ask the agent what they think it is worth, where people are buying, what they look for. Don't discuss the price in the house with anyone. Plenty of places have cameras/ring door bells etc and the buyer will know what you can offer.

  Get pre approved for a mortgage and find a good solicitor. When you come to offer you'll be ahead of the competition.

  Find out why they seller is selling - probate, divorce, insolvency, do they need to move quickly.

  Buy with your head and not your heart. Look at it like a business deal

  Also don't be afraid of renting. Most people are negative about it but it can be a key to great wealth if you have the discipline to save your money elsewhere. Far better to rent and have access to your riches, than be rich but all of your wealth is in your house which you can't access

  Set alert in 24hours, then contact within the same day of post.

  2022/11/02
• 
  

  Infoman

  The Pros And Cons Of Buying A New Build Property

  Pros And Cons of Buying A New Build Property If you are looking to move house then you might have thought about buying a newly built home direct from the developers. But, what are the pros and cons of buying a new build property?

  Here are what we consider to be the main advantages and disadvantages of buying new builds:

  Advantages Of New Build Properties

  No Chain

  One of the biggest advantages of buying a new build is the fact you won’t be buying into a chain. That means, as soon as your finances are in place, you can look to complete the purchase.

  It also removes the risk of being gazumped and can help make the whole house move less stressful. However, be aware that once you have agreed to buy a new build, the developers will often set a deadline for when you need to complete by. This can add pressure if you need to sell your own property to fund the move.

  Low Maintenance

  New build properties are built to the latest regulations and specifications, meaning that it’s unlikely you’ll need to worry about repairs for a while. They also come with a 10-year NHBC warranty to cover structural defects.

  Add to this the fact many home builders offer their own warranties too, and you’ll definitely gain some peace of mind when buying a new build.

  Influence The Final Finish

  If your chosen new build is still being built, it may be possible to influence the exact finish inside the property. This could be things like your choice of flooring, tile colour, or even minor alterations to layout.

  Whatever it is, it gives you the chance to make the property ‘yours’ and reduce the need to change anything once you move in.

  Government Incentives

  Help To Buy Scheme Depending on your eligibility, it may be possible to benefit from government incentives such as Help To Buy when buying new a build property. Many such incentives are only available on new builds.

  Talk to the developer as they’ll know what current incentives might save you the most money.

  More Energy Efficient

  As new build properties are built to the latest specifications and building standards, they are often more energy efficient than older properties.

  In a country where energy costs seem to be ever-increasing, this can lead to significant savings on your energy bills over the coming years.

  Enjoying This Article?

  Get more advice about buying property in your inbox

  Get articles like this as downloadable PDFs when you join our email newsletter with regular updates and tips.

  SUBSCRIBE NOW You can unsubscribe at any time. See our Privacy Policy.

  Everything Is Brand New

  Many people love the fact that no-one else has lived in a new build property before them. That means everything is brand new and should be spotlessly clean.

  Disadvantages Of New Build Properties

  Harder To Get A Mortgage

  Because new builds are often sold at a premium price, lenders are often stricter with the maximum loan to value (LTV) they will lend for a new build property.

  This means you may need to have a larger deposit to be able to get a favourable mortgage rate than you would if you were buying a similarly valued older home.

  In addition to this, developers will often only give you 28 days to complete a purchase after you have put down your deposit. This can be a tough deadline for some mortgage lenders to meet.

  Property May Not Be Built Yet

  Depending on which stage of the build process the developers are at, the house you buy may not actually be built yet. That means you’ll be relying on show homes and imagination to understand exactly how your house will look when completed.

  This also means there a risk the property won’t be quite what you hoped it would be when you finally get the keys. Plus, if you are in a chain you may need to consider moving into rented accommodation while you wait for your new build home to be finished.

  Questionable Build Quality

  Although new build properties are built to the latest specifications and regulations, there is a tendency nowadays for firms to use cheaper materials in order to increase their profit margins.

  This is why you’ll often find new builds contain a high proportion of stud walls. These offer poorer sound insulation and can be tricky to affix heavier objects to, such as mirrors and bathroom fixings.

  Smaller Rooms And Gardens

  New Builds Have Smaller Rooms Because developers need to maximise the number of properties they build on a site in order to increase their profit margins, new build properties tend to have smaller rooms and gardens.

  So, even a 4 bedroom new build house may not be much different in size than an older 3 bedroom house.

  Possibility Of Disruption

  If the development upon which your purchased new build property sits is not completed when you move in, be prepared for a period of disruption.

  Noise, vibrations, road closures, and excessive mud and dirt are all common on housing developments where work is still ongoing.

  Of course, any disruption will only last until the development is completed but it’s worth finding out the timescales the developers are working to so you know what you are letting yourself in for!

  Less For Your Money

  We mentioned it earlier but it really is true that most developers price new build properties at a premium. You are paying for the fact that everything should be in perfect condition and under warranty. You are paying for the fact no one has lived there before you.

  If you want the best value for money, an older property will give you more property for your cash.

  Pros And Cons Of Buying A New Build Property – Summary

  So, as you can see, there are a number of pros and cons of buying a new build property. If you want something which doesn’t need anything doing to it for a few years, has never been lived in before, and is built to modern standards, a new build property may be right for you.

  However, if you want to maximise what your money will buy, enjoy larger rooms and gardens, and avoid the excessive plasterboard walls common in new builds, stick with an older-style property.

  Whichever type of property you decide to buy, make sure you check out our guide on how to choose a removal company before the big day arrives.

  2022/11/02
• 
  

  Infoman

  UK mortgage lending to be lowest in over a decade in 2023

  BRITAIN’S mort­gage lend­ing is headed for its biggest plunge in more than a dec­ade next year after a surge in interest rates and cost-ofliv­ing squeeze brings house­hold budgets to a break­ing point.

  Total loans for house pur­chases may total just £11bil (Rm60bil) next year, a frac­tion of the £63bil (Rm344bil) expec­ted for 2022, accord­ing to a report from the con­sult­ant EY.

  That would mark 0.7% growth in lend­ing, the low­est since 2011 and down from a healthy 4% increase expec­ted this year.

  The report is the latest warn­ing sign flash­ing for Bri­tain’s hous­ing mar­ket, which kept grow­ing through the pan­demic even as the eco­nomy tipped into reces­sion.

  With another down­turn under­way, lenders and estate agents have for months pre­dicted that the prop­erty mar­ket is likely to slow if not plunge in the months ahead.

  Bor­row­ing costs are soar­ing along with expect­a­tions that the Bank of Eng­land will keep rais­ing interest rates in response to the highest infla­tion in 40 years.

  Investors are bet­ting on the biggest increase in 33 years when policy makers meet again next week, tak­ing the base rate to 3% from near zero at the end of last year.

  “While interest rates are still fairly low by his­tor­ical stand­ards, they are the highest they’ve been in a dec­ade and are set to rise fur­ther,” says Anna Anthony, UK fin­an­cial ser­vices man­aging part­ner at EY.

  “This will put fur­ther pres­sure on alreadys­trained fin­ances and will have a knock-on effect on demand for most forms of bank lend­ing.”

  The cost of key UK mort­gages remains close to a peak last seen in the 2008 fin­an­cial crisis, which is redu­cing the num­ber of people who can afford to buy prop­erty.

  It’s also rais­ing the costs for bor­row­ers who need to refin­ance loans, which in the UK mar­ket typ­ic­ally hap­pens at least every five years.

  The aver­age two-year fixed-rate home loan fell slightly to 6.49% on Thursday, the first time it has dropped below 6.5% for ten days.

  That’s as the aver­age five-year fixed-rate deal also dipped to 6.35%, although it remains close to a 14-year high, accord­ing to Money­facts Group Plc.

  Ana­lysts at Credit Suisse say that house prices “could eas­ily fall 10% to 15%,” and oth­ers includ­ing Niraj Shah of Bloomberg Eco­nom­ics pre­dict double-digit declines. Ana­lysts at HSBC have pre­dicted falls of 7.5% nation­ally and 15% in Lon­don.

  That will reverse some of the gains made since the start of the pan­demic, a period that has seen house prices soar 23%.

  The factors that boos­ted the mar­ket then – a strong labour mar­ket and short­ages of homes for sale – may con­tinue to provide some sup­port, the mort­gage lender Hal­i­fax said on Oct 7.

  The polit­ical tur­moil that cul­min­ated with Prime Min­is­ter Liz Truss hand­ing power to Rishi Sunak also is weigh­ing on the mar­ket.

  In recent weeks, Truss’s plans for unfun­ded tax cuts spooked investors, push­ing up interest rates in fin­an­cial mar­kets.

  While those rates have come down sharply with a U-turn on the budget meas­ures, mort­gage rates have yet to return to the levels pre­vail­ing in the sum­mer.

  For now, the hous­ing mar­ket remains healthy, with ask­ing prices for prop­er­ties com­ing to mar­ket rising in Septem­ber at the strongest pace in months, accord­ing to real estate search web­site Right­move.

  But its report also showed buyer demand has fallen 15% in the first two weeks of Octo­ber. — Bloomberg

  通過分享 PressReader

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/10/31
• 
  

  Infoman

  Spooking the marketThe Scotsman

  There are cer­tain aspects of a prop­erty which you have a legal oblig­a­tion to dis­close when selling.

  Not men­tion­ing the nuis­ance neigh­bours, a dodgy loft con­ver­sion or plan­ning per­mis­sion for an immin­ent build nearby could land you in court under the Prop­erty Mis­dir­ec­tions Act.

  However, in this week lead­ing up to Hal­loween, what if the nondis­clos­ure involved a slightly darker sub­ject mat­ter?

  A sur­vey con­duc­ted in 2016 sug­ges­ted that a third of UK buy­ers would be dis­suaded from mak­ing an offer on a prop­erty if they found out that someone had died in the house.

  But given the advanced age of the hous­ing stock in this coun­try, I’d say most places must have been the scene of a demise or two.

  Aside from learn­ing that a really grisly murder occurred in your chosen dream home – which might indeed be off-put­ting – I don’t see the prob­lem.

  However, there are a couple of houses in my area which could be con­sidered spooky because of the fate of pre­vi­ous own­ers. Both of these dwell­ings might make super­sti­tious buy­ers pause.

  One, in the vil­lage, has been aban­doned for dec­ades. Tucked behind a wall of over­grown trees and shrubs, you can just see the roof of the once-fine Vic­torian villa set back from the road. Older res­id­ents explain that it belonged to a local fam­ily, the last of whom died abroad in the 1970s.

  Pre­sum­ably there have been dis­putes about the will, or just a dis­in­terest from dis­tant heirs, because the house has remained empty ever since.

  A couple of years ago it was the sub­ject of a You­tube video, made by an Amer­ican couple of sel­fap­pon­ted “ghost hunters” who broke in and filmed the interior.

  The upset­tingly voyeur­istic foot­age showed a col­lapsed stair­case and water dam­age, but most of the rooms are sur­pris­ingly intact – albeit covered in bird drop­pings and dust.

  Haunt­ingly, there remains music sheets on the piano and a chess set laid out mid-game on a table.

  Another cot­tage, at the head of a loch and only reach­able by a lonely six-mile single track road, was owned by friends of my par­ents.

  Parts of it date from the 1600s and over din­ner one night, the own­ers con­fessed to my mum and dad that, while renov­at­ing the prop­erty, they had dug up the kit­chen floor and found what they thought might have been human bones – very ancient, but chilling all the same.

  Fear­ing that if they informed the author­it­ies their renov­a­tion would be hal­ted by arche­olo­gical invest­ig­a­tions, they kept schtum, covered the bones back up in earth and laid their new floor on top.

  The house was sold on about 20 years ago, and while most of us in the know about the story remained dip­lo­mat­ic­ally silent, someone even­tu­ally informed the new owner.

  Her reac­tion, for­tu­nately, was one of delight. She under­stands that it is unlikely to be any­thing more sin­is­ter than a former res­id­ent who wanted to remain in the home they had loved. To her, a body under the floor­boards – tall tale or not – adds to the charm of the house.

  But she just might not dis­close that unique fea­ture in the bro­chure when it comes time to sell.

  “A third of UK buy­ers would be dis­suaded from mak­ing an offer on a prop­erty if they found out that someone had died in the house”

  通過分享 PressReader

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/10/31
• 
  

  Infoman

  Post-pandemic return to the office leads to increased house prices in UK cities, study findsThe National - News

  Employ­ees return­ing to the office have fuelled the growth of house prices in Brit­ish cit­ies but left rural areas trail­ing behind, research from UK bank Hal­i­fax pub­lished on Monday sug­gests.

  Since the start of the year, city prop­erty prices have typ­ic­ally grown by 9.2 per cent, com­pared with 7.9 per cent in sur­round­ing areas, Hal­i­fax said.

  Andrew Asaam, mort­gages dir­ector at Hal­i­fax, said the trend of people look­ing for greener spaces to move to, which developed early in the coronavirus pan­demic, had remained.

  “That trend didn’t dis­ap­pear com­pletely this year, as house price growth in these areas remained strong,” he said.

  “But as daily life star­ted to get back to nor­mal for many, the oppor­tun­ity to live in cit­ies became more attract­ive again, driv­ing up demand. There’s evid­ence of this in loc­a­tions across the coun­try, with prop­erty price infla­tion in the major­ity of cit­ies out­strip­ping increases in their sur­round­ing areas.

  “Clearly the eco­nomic envir­on­ment has changed con­sid­er­ably in the last few months, with the like­li­hood of more sig­ni­fic­ant down­ward pres­sure on house prices, as the cost-of-liv­ing squeeze and higher bor­row­ing costs limit demand. The extent to which such trends will con­tinue to shape the hous­ing mar­ket is there­fore uncer­tain.”

  But some places have bucked the trend. In areas sur­round­ing Birm­ing­ham, house prices have risen faster in per­cent­age terms than in the city. This is reflec­ted in places such as Walsall, where prop­erty price infla­tion has risen 16.4 per cent so far this year, Hal­i­fax said.

  And in the North-east of Eng­land, New­castle, Sun­der­land and Middles­brough have recor­ded weaker house price growth this year so far than their sur­round­ing areas.

  通過分享 PressReader

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/10/31
• 
  

  Infoman

  https://community.hmrc.gov.uk/customerforums/pt/dcc91d7c-5947-ec11-a3ee-00155d9c86c6

  2022/10/31
• 
  

  Infoman

  We face peril because the UK economy relies on house prices. Here are three ways to fix thatFran Boait Fran Boait is exec­ut­ive dir­ector of cam­paign group Pos­it­ive Money

  The Guardian Australia

  House prices are pre­dicted to drop next year due to a mix­ture of fin­an­cial instabil­ity caused by the mis­judged mini-budget and the Bank of Eng­land accel­er­at­ing interest rate hikes. This will be dis­astrous for many house­holds strug­gling to afford increased mort­gage repay­ments.

  At the same time there are many strug­gling to buy their first home. In 2021, UK house prices grew at their fast­est pace in over a dec­ade, des­pite the eco­nomy still recov­er­ing from one of the worst con­trac­tions in 300 years. This dis­con­nect between the hous­ing mar­ket and the rest of the eco­nomy only bene­fits those who use hous­ing as an asset for accu­mu­lat­ing wealth.

  The gains of this wealth are unevenly dis­trib­uted across soci­ety. The aver­age white fam­ily gained £115,000 in prop­erty wealth in the past dec­ade, while the aver­age Black house­hold accu­mu­lated noth­ing, and almost half of hous­ing wealth in the UK is owned by the over-65s. Many people are strug­gling to put together the large depos­its required, and those in the ren­ted sec­tor or social hous­ing face higher hous­ing costs rel­at­ive to those with mort­gages, and greater insec­ur­ity of ten­ancy.

  The dom­in­ant nar­rat­ive has been that prices reached all-time highs this year due to short­age of sup­ply, but as many eco­nom­ists have argued since the crash, it is bank lend­ing, rather than sup­ply of hous­ing, that is a primary driver of house price rises. And high land prices res­ult in even less social hous­ing being built.

  Lend­ing into real estate gen­er­ates a self-sus­tain­ing cycle of credit sup­ply, credit demand and rapid house prices increases. And when fewer people can afford to repay their mort­gages, lend­ing dries up, con­fid­ence drops and the cycle works in the oppos­ite dir­ec­tion, mak­ing prices sud­denly drop.

  Overnight people can find them­selves in neg­at­ive equity and be forced from their homes, and banks and real estate investors cash in. While this dynamic was under­stood in great detail after the last crash, memor­ies are short, and the post-crash powers to reduce fin­an­cial instabil­ity from the hous­ing mar­ket have done little to dampen the infla­tion­ary effect of mort­gage lend­ing, or reduce the attract­ive­ness of homes as fin­an­cial assets. Gov­ern­ment policies, from the stamp duty hol­i­days to the resur­rec­tion of “right to buy”, have only exacer­bated this prob­lem. This destruct­ive pat­tern of boom and bust needs to come to an end.

  As we’re see­ing with the depar­ture of Liz Truss, gov­ern­ments in the UK have been made and broken on the back of mort­gage rate rises, and with mort­gage repay­ments already climb­ing and likely to soar, regard­less of how big the hous­ing down­turn is, it is highly likely that the pub­lic will boot the Con­ser­vat­ives out of office at the first oppor­tun­ity. Sta­bil­ising house prices is always going to be a dif­fi­cult polit­ical sell, with 65% of Eng­land’s house­holds being homeown­ers, or more accur­ately large debt/mort­gage own­ers, and their fam­ily wealth inex­tric­ably tied to house prices.

  Even Labour doesn’t want to change course, by tar­get­ing 70% home own­er­ship through mort­gage guar­an­tees. However, pub­lic opin­ion may have reached a tip­ping point: in March, when prices grew at their fast­est pace since 2004, more than half of Brit­ish homeown­ers said they would be happy if their own home did not rise in value in the next 10 years if it meant houses were more afford­able for those who didn’t own prop­erty.

  The eco­nomic tur­moil right now is reveal­ing how fun­da­ment­ally fra­gile the UK eco­nomy is. Escap­ing our struc­tural depend­ence on house price rises driven by an over­sized fin­an­cial sec­tor won’t be easy. However, there are some import­ant places to start. We need to pri­or­it­ise policies that pro­tect renters and social hous­ing, rather than treat­ing them as an after­thought. This will entail vastly scal­ing up social hous­ing, and imple­ment­ing rent con­trols and renter pro­tec­tions to ensure high qual­ity homes, with long-term secur­ity.

  Banks also need to be reined in. Hav­ing a con­cen­trated bank­ing sec­tor with 50% of its assets secured against UK prop­erty is not a healthy pos­i­tion to be in. We need a diverse eco­sys­tem of banks lend­ing into more pro­duct­ive and socially use­ful activ­it­ies. Fairer tax­a­tion on prop­erty and land would dampen spec­u­la­tion and also unlock much needed funds for social hous­ing.

  Finally, we need our reg­u­lat­ors to take ser­i­ously the task of sta­bil­ising house prices, ideally adding it as a sec­ond­ary object­ive to the Bank of Eng­land’s poli­cy­mak­ing com­mit­tees.

  The dys­func­tional nature of our hous­ing mar­ket can’t be fixed quickly or overnight, it’s intim­ately con­nec­ted to our polit­ics and cul­ture. But since the last crash we’ve had more than a dec­ade of missed oppor­tun­it­ies when it comes to hous­ing afford­ab­il­ity, and it’s time for change.

  通過分享 PressReader

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/10/31
• 
  

  Infoman

  Ampel計劃為中國交易設置更高的障礙Der Tagesspiegel 2022 年 10 月 31 日

  • 紅綠燈聯盟希望顯著收緊對敏感技術領域和關鍵基礎設施的外國投資的法律。這些預防措施旨在特別限制中國的影響力。北京希望“建立依賴關係並施加影響”，財政部長克里斯蒂安·林德納（FDP）告訴芬克媒體。 “因此，必須修改外貿法，”他的部“在中遠案之際採取了主動行動。”內閣部分禁止中國國有航運公司中遠集團進入漢堡港。社民黨領袖拉爾斯·克林貝爾支持“中國法”：“在安全問題上，我們大陸的主權問題上，中國必須置身事外。”綠色議會小組領袖康斯坦丁·馮·諾茨（Konstantin von Notz）呼籲對“外國投資者出於戰略動機的收購”進行“緊急法律調整”。

  柏林、慕尼黑、杜塞爾多夫——儘管德國公司在中國的投資計劃遭到嚴厲批評，西門子仍希望繼續擴大其在中國的業務。確實，暫時不完全搬遷任何子區域。但最重要的是，“數字產業”領域是工業軟件和工廠自動化最重要和最敏感的領域，將更加貼近中國。據Handelsblatt企業界消息，CEO Roland Busch專門為該項目設立了一個項目。這涉及在中國的大規模投資以及在那裡開發新功能。

  該項目被稱為“馬可波羅”，以700年前遊歷中國並定居的威尼斯探險家命名。布希和他一樣熱情，但還沒有看到西門子與中國競爭者處於平等地位。 “迄今為止計劃的措施不足以擊敗當地冠軍，”該集團的管理層在與高層管理人員舉行的戰略會議上解釋道。 “贏得比賽”需要“進一步授權”。

  自從中國公開威脅要入侵台灣以來，德國公司的投資計劃就一直受到密切關注。近日，已斥資 100 億歐元在湛江新建工廠的化工公司巴斯夫發現了這一消息。

  根據德國商報的信息，布希最初推遲了馬可波羅計劃的部分內容，例如可能的分區完全搬遷和進一步開設總部。但也許不會持續太久，正如一位內部人士所說：“中國知道這些計劃，並希望看到它們得到實施。”

  布希原則上堅持投資計劃。他希望到 2025 年，中國“數字產業”部門的銷售額比 2020 年翻一番。當被問及時，一位發言人表示，中國的能力建設遵循“多元化戰略”，旨在減少“全球本地化”意義上的地區之間的依賴，包括供應鏈方面的依賴。其他主要地區也正在實施類似的地區能力建設計劃。

  全球本地化描述了全球化和本地化之間的中間地帶，即公司在全球範圍內開展業務，同時加強其在該地區的影響力。西門子在亞洲的根基可以追溯到早期。 “我們可能很快就會與中國合作，”維爾納·馮·西門子在 1879 年寫給他的兄弟卡爾。 “當地使者向中國報告，結果向秦國報告。管理層表示希望從我們這裡購買交流發電機。”

  國家之間的紐帶經歷了自那以後困擾世界的所有動盪。聯邦政府從來都不是沒有問題的，正如前首席執行官海因里希·馮·皮耶爾在他的《可行的藝術》一書中所描述的那樣：“中國的一個特別煩惱是強制技術轉讓。”即便如此，專家們觀察到北京想要獨立，它在全球經濟日益增長的需求中佔有一席之地。

  “一個人如何為自己辯護呢？”von Pierer 問自己，回答自己：“例如，不將關鍵部件的技術轉移到中國，每個項目都有這樣的技術，即生產這些用於功能整個系統的必要組成部分在他們自己的國家。”

  Heinrich von Pierer 會如何評價 Roland Busch 今天的計劃？現任西門子老闆正在全力推進中國。

  今年 3 月的一次會議顯示了布希的嚴肅性。正如與會者記得的那樣，當他的經理們提出將發動機生產部分轉移到中國並歸入“數字工業”部門時，布希仍然不夠。 “半身孕”就是這樣，有de r CEO 說。據參與者稱，他希望這 8,000 個工作崗位能夠完全搬遷。

  為此，布希開發了“馬可波羅”項目。從本質上講，應該加強中國重要的“數字產業”部門的生產，尤其是研究和管理。當時，除了在德國之外，還計劃在中華人民共和國建設第二個總部。

  西門子應要求表示，他們“沒有任何計劃在中國建立第二個數字工業總部”。然而，該集團還表示，它希望根據中國的要求為中國開發更多本地化產品——“這是在競爭激烈的中國市場中不可或缺的成功因素”。

  在馬可波羅項目中，有一個名副其實的“中國總體規劃”。對於數字產業，中國的目標是增長 15%。他們說，這“遠高於西門子 6% 到 9% 的歷史增長率”。到 2025 年，數字產業的營業額將翻一番。西門子並未報告該部門目前在中國的銷售額。然而，在工業界，估計遠遠超過 20 億歐元。

  這種增長是有代價的。在馬可波羅項目中，經理們自己解決了範式轉變。中華人民共和國的座右銘曾經是“中國製造”，但現在適用“中國創造”的要求。換句話說，共產黨希望中國製造的產品在中國構思和開發。根據西方觀察家的說法，目標是大規模和永久地轉讓技術和專有技術。

  如果始終如一地實施，德國將只能從中國獲得其社會運作所需的高科技產品和服務。數月來，政客、經濟學家和特勤局一直在警告這種情況。

  外交部長安娜萊娜·貝爾博克（綠黨）最近表示，德國“不應讓自己依賴任何與我們價值觀不同的國家”。例如，貝爾博克引用了前聯邦政府的俄羅斯政策。弗拉基米爾·普京總統在烏克蘭發動的侵略戰爭以及由此導致的從俄羅斯到德國的天然氣供應中斷引發了嚴重的能源危機。

  德國與中國也面臨著類似的困境。 “德國經濟對中國的依賴程度遠高於相反，而且到 2021 年，對中國的依賴程度幾乎穩步上升，”科隆德國經濟研究所的一項研究稱。 “中國的銷售市場和那裡的短期利潤似乎太有吸引力了。”

  通過 PressReader 分享

  通過新聞連接世界

  2022/10/31