LONDON: British house prices remained flat in June and the market was likely to stay sluggish in the coming months despite more properties being put up for sale, a surveyors group said on Thursday.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) house price balance rose to +2 from -2 in May.
A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to a fall of -3 in June but RICS said the overall picture remained one of flat price growth and respondents taking part in the survey did not anticipate much change in the coming three months.
Britain’s housing market has cooled since the 2016 Brexit vote which led to a rise in overall inflation and increased uncertainty among investors.
“For the second month in a row, new instructions have risen, with 10 percent more respondents seeing an increase in the flow of properties being put up for sale,” RICS said.
“However, with average stocks remaining close to historic lows at 43 it would be too early to suggest that this issue is lessening as an obstacle.”
Looking further ahead, London’s housing market was likely to remain a weak spot — prices were not expected to rise in the capital and the neighboring south east region, in contrast to much of the rest of the country.
UK housing market remains in the doldrums — survey
UK housing market remains in the doldrums — survey
Saudi environmental compliance sector unveils opportunities worth over $8bn
RIYADH: The Invest Saudi platform offers specialized opportunities with expected revenues exceeding SR30 billion ($8 billion), according to the National Center for Environmental Compliance.
In a statement, the center invited local and international investors to seize the listed opportunities and benefit from various incentives, ranging from administrative support to direct financing.
Saad Al-Zubaidi, executive director of business development, explained that this market size reflects the specialized nature of the environmental compliance sector as a supporting sector for all economic activities.
Sectors such as industry, energy, mining, construction, services, and infrastructure rely on it to comply with environmental regulations and enhance operational efficiency.
Incentive and financing packages
The center, in integration with various government entities, is working on developing comprehensive incentive packages for investors in the field.
These packages include direct financing tools, soft loans, and guarantee programs, in addition to regulatory and procedural enablers aimed at accelerating the investment cycle and reducing operational risks.
The payback period for investments starts from 4 years and does not exceed 7 years at most, according to the center.
The current market size stands at SR14 billion, according to Al-Zubaidi, who expects it to double within 5 years.
The market diversifies across fields including the manufacturing of pollution control systems, the manufacturing of air and water quality monitoring devices, soil and groundwater rehabilitation, and building specialized technical capacities in the environmental field.
Trend toward localizing environmental technologies
Al-Zubaidi confirmed that the announced opportunities have had their preliminary studies completed and are available for investors to review their details and to complete technical and financial feasibility studies according to various business models.
The focus is not limited to maximizing economic return but extends to localizing environmental technologies, transferring knowledge, and building local value chains capable of meeting the growing demand across various sectors.
