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- 1UK first-time buyer scheme lifts housebuilder shares▼UK first-time buyer scheme lifts housebuilders, but success hinges on design
Shares in UK housebuilders have risen following the government's new mortgage support scheme for first-time buyers, which aims to help people purchase homes with smaller deposits. Analysts caution, however, that the policy's long-term success will depend on whether properties are designed and built to meet buyers' needs, rather than simply inflating demand in an already strained housing market.
- 2
European stock markets traded broadly flat, with gains among UK homebuilders offset by pressure from oil stocks and rising bond yields. Reuters reported that the opposing forces left major indices little changed. Investors are weighing rate expectations and energy sector weakness against a notable rally in British residential construction shares.