How should investors act in a crisis? March 11, 2020 | City Talk With markets reeling from the effects of coronavirus, Schroders’ Group CIO, Johanna Kyrklund, highlights what investors should focus on. Coronavirus is the latest threat to market harmony that once again poses a timeless question: how should investors act in a crisis? Whether you’re a fund manager, responsible for billions of pounds of other people’s money, [...]
Should the Bank of England consider an emergency interest rate cut in response Covid-19? March 11, 2020 Should the Bank of England consider an emergency interest rate cut in response Covid-19? Vicky Pryce, former joint head of the Government Economic Service and author of It’s the Economy, Stupid, says YES. This is an emergency situation and emergency measures are needed. The Budget needs to focus on providing short-term help, but a joint [...]
Treasury to push back target date to sell off RBS stake March 10, 2020 The Treasury is set to push back its target date for selling its stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in the wake of stock market uncertainty. The government is due to announce tomorrow that it will not divest its 62 per cent stake in RBS until 2025. An exit strategy the Treasury published [...]
Your road map to the Isa universe: Make the most of your tax-free allowance March 10, 2020 There are just 27 days to go before the tax year ends on 5 April. For savers and investors, that means there are only a few weeks left to make use of their Individual Savings Account (Isa) allowance. Introduced in 1999, Isas allow people to invest up to £20,000 into savings each tax year, and [...]
Oaknorth Bank doubles profits but reports a slowdown in growth March 9, 2020 Oaknorth Bank nearly doubled its profits last year, but reported a slowdown in growth. The five-year-old challenger bank reported a 95 per cent jump in pre tax profit to £65.9m, up from £33.9m in 2018. Oaknorth said it had kickstarted efforts to broaden its customer base outside of its core market of London and the [...]
Natwest unveils £5bn coronavirus support package for small businesses March 9, 2020 Natwest today said it will pledge £5bn of funding to support small and medium-sized businesses across the UK amid disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The bank, which recently rebranded from RBS, said the cash injection will mark an extension of its existing growth funding package, which is designed to help companies that have been [...]
Financial Conduct Authority ups vetting of senior bankers March 9, 2020 The number of interviews the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has held to vet staff proposed for senior roles at financial services firms jumped 27 per cent to 233 in 2018. FCA data provided to employment law firm Fox & Partners showed the number had risen from 183 the previous year. The law firm said the [...]
Can interest rate cuts help economies deal with coronavirus? March 8, 2020 Last Tuesday, the coronavirus outbreak drove the US Federal Reserve to do something it hadn’t done since the 2008 financial crisis: slash interest rates in an emergency move. Fed chair Jay Powell said rate-setters had “come to the view that it is time for us to act in the support of the economy”. The economic [...]
Serious Fraud Office looking at Lloyds Bank and KPMG claims March 8, 2020 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is reportedly examining allegations that Lloyds Banking Group and KPMG drove a property group into administration by saddling it with fees. Fraud office investigators have been interviewing witnesses over claims the Angel Group was deliberately driven into liquidation, the Telegraph reported. According to the report, the SFO has not launched [...]
Meet the influential women building the future of Britain March 6, 2020 | City Talk With International Women’s Day on the horizon, we celebrate some of the UK’s most influential women, and how their contributions are shaping the future of the nation. It’s been over a month since the UK entered the transitional period between leaving the EU and confirming a final deal with Europe. Although the pound has remained [...]