Daniel Thomas



Profile:


Full name: Daniel Thomas

Area of interest: Property: commercial and residential in the UK and globally

Journals: Financial Times

Email: [mailto:dan.thomas@ft.com dan.thomas@ft.com]

Website: FT.com / The Property Column

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Career: Property Week: Assistant editor; Financial Times: personal finance reporter

Current position/role: FT property correspondent, 'Property Column' writer


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Current debate: 

Financial Times: 'The Property Column'
Column remit: Commercial and residential property in the UK and globally

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Website: FT.com / The Property Column

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Day published: every second Monday

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Articles: 2008 / 2009

 * possessions'' - Property: As banks and other investors confront the prospect of big defaults on debt sunk into commercial developments during the boom, the troubles in Dubai may be only the start - 8th December 2009
 * on to your hats for return to securitisation ride'' - Kickstarting the property-backed securitised debt market will be a focus for many bankers coming back from their holidays even though the risky loans made during the securitisation boom will remain a threat to any sustained recovery - 1st September 2009


 * Banking enforcer turns property persuader - Paul Idzik has a battling start in pulling DTZ back from the brink of a real threat but he is winning over sceptics as he steers the company into safer waters - 25th February 2009
 * Lack of functioning market complicates valuations - Financial authorities have taken a keen interest in the valuations debate, with the Bank of England contacting certain property professionals to talk about the problems that valuers are having over accuracy of valuations - 23rd February 2009
 * On London: Getting real on real estate - While the property sector scrambles for funds to pay off crippling debt, investors should tread carefully - 13th February 2009
 * Cash call surprises send rivals a signal to hurry up - The surprises in Hammerson’s £584m rights issue were just how much money the company needs and the unashamed admission that this will entirely be used to pay down debt to stop a possible covenant breach - 9th February 2009
 * Commercial sector pain for smaller investors - While fallout from the commercial property crash on the portfolios of wealthy tycoons has made the headlines, the danger to the savings and pensions of the many smaller investors has been largely ignored - 26th January 2009
 * Old-school buyers put lessons learnt into practice - Land Securities’ sale of Trillium at a significant loss to William Pears was a further sign that property veterans are finding market conditions turning in their favour - 12th January 2009
 * Shops’ pick ‘n’ mix faces test - While there are buyers for many outlets of Woolworths and MFI, landlords have not seen the worst of what will end up as the sale of the century so far for the nation’s shop leases - 9th December 2008
 * A missed chance to reform Reits - The lack of new entrants into the sector remains a concern although the UK government should be applauded for creating the original framework that has withstood the market turmoil well so far - 25th November 2008
 * Resilient property deals start to lose shine - The slump in house prices has not yet hit the top end of the market, but there are question marks about how long ‘super prime’ homes worth more than £10m can defy gravity - 4th November 2008
 * Empty space highlights speed of downturn - With 3.7m sq ft of unlet floorspace due for delivery in the next 18 months – just when agents are predicting the worst of the downturn – developers look to have been caught out - 21st October 2008
 * Derivatives look to next stage of evolution - Property derivatives traders were the only section of the real estate investment community to smile last week after it became clear that events in the banking sector would almost certainly have a negative impact on the market - 22nd September 2008
 * Banks take ‘aggressive’ stance to find ‘bottom line’ - Some institutions are making a virtue of the fact that they are raising rates across the board, not just in the real estate market but for all borrowers, as their own cost of funds has increased - 8th September 2008
 * People’s choice of music invokes turmoil - When Brixton’s chief executive used a quote from “All Along the Watchtower” to highlight the sector’s “beleaguered” spirit, he sparked off a new interest among property professionals in naming the song they think best fits the prevailing mood - 25th August 2008
 * Banks in denial are sitting on loan-to-value timebomb - The collapse of the Dawnay Day had little to do with its extensive property holdings. It was the adventures of the business empire in financial services – specifically losses made on stakebuilding in asset manager F&C – that hurt most - 11th August 2008
 * Crunch calls for measures on home front - Protecting taxpayers is paramount, and there is also the need to maintain wider housing market stability and serve the nation’s future homeowners - 1st July 2008
 * Oil money set to lubricate M&A phase - Talk among bankers is that activity is picking up just as many in the real estate market are flicking through holiday brochures - 16th June 2008
 * Testing times favour the traditional and the targeted - Real estate fund managers are reacting with remarkable forbearance to the troubles in the market. A lull in fundraising and investment activity might have been expected given the downturn, but instead the sector is seeing record levels of cash being raised for new funds - 2nd June 2008
 * Agents of doom prepare to ride the property storm - Jobs have already been lost in commercial property teams among many lenders, who are not lending, and investors, who cannot invest - 19th May 2008
 * Market should brace itself for more pain - Buyers are gradually returning, but the market has to be prepared for a period of further pain before a recovery becomes a reality outside certain niche markets - 5th May 2008
 * Chance to iron out differences with cross-border Reits - Just as the dust has begun to settle around UK real estate investment trust legislation there come plans for a European version - 21st April 2008
 * Shrewd investors face a taxing question on debt - At what price would you buy debt secured on good commercial property in a bad commercial market? - 8th April 2008
 * All eyes are on the tape-measure brigade - Valuers – not usually accorded star status – were feted at this year’s Mipim property conference, with the 29,000 attenders keen to hear their views on where markets are heading - 7th April 2008

