FTSE100 company disputes could cost £13.8bn December 14, 2020 Tax disputes with tax authorities globally could cost FTSE100 companies £13.8bn, research by Thomson Reuters shows. This figure Includes £11.7bn in extra tax related to disputes that the companies believe they will ultimately win, however, the FTSE100 set aside £2.1bn to cover the costs of these disputes last year. In total FTSE100 companies were involved [...]
Vaccine optimism spurs near-record equity inflows December 9, 2020 The long-awaited announcement of effective vaccines saw investors pile back into equity funds last month at a near-record level. Renewed optimism among investors saw a net £2.3bn added to equity funds, according to fund network Calastone’s latest data. It is the second highest month of inflows on record after April 2020 when investors welcomed coronavirus [...]
Stricter regulation is actually a blessing December 8, 2020 | City Talk ‘Stay safe’ has become more than just a mantra these past six months. Governments have used the phrase to explain why restrictions to everyday life are needed. We read it on posters in the street and on shop doors. We even sign off our emails to friends and colleagues with it. Yet there is more [...]
Mind the gap: Study shows savers are 94% worse off than investors December 8, 2020 A substantial investment gap has opened up between those who opted to save and those who decided to invest over the last 10 years. According to a survey by online investment platform Charles Stanley Direct, those who save in cash accounts are on average 94 per cent worse off than their counterparts. For example, £10,000 [...]
A 2020 roundup December 8, 2020 | City Talk As we come into the final chapter of 2020, it is safe to say this has been a challenging year with the many new and unfamiliar situations that the world has had to quickly adapt to. Almost overnight, the world had to adjust to a new way of living and working which has seen nearly [...]
Sadiq Khan launches £1m Resilience Fund for London’s post-pandemic recovery December 4, 2020 The Mayor of London announced the launch of a £1m Resilience Fund, partnering community groups and innovation experts to tackle London’s most pressing challenges. The Resilience Fund will be delivered in partnership with Nesta Challenges, an innovation foundation. Local authorities, public agencies, social enterprise will be asked to identify specific challenges they need solved. Sadiq [...]
Exclusive: Investors prioritise security as they flock to low risk assets December 3, 2020 UK investors are shifting their attention to low risk assets as they prioritise security over returns in their investment strategies for the next year. A survey of almost 900 UK investors by Butterfield Mortgages reveals that nearly half have lost money due to the volatility caused by the pandemic. In times of uncertainty, investors will [...]
Exclusive: Andy Bell warns ‘we’ll all feel the pain of negative interest rates’ December 3, 2020 As the Bank of England mulls the introduction of negative interest rates AJ Bell’s chief executive has told City A.M. customers will suffer as a result. The central bank has already slashed interest rates to a record low of 0.1 per cent to support lending through the pandemic. “We’ve discussed how we’d deal and cope [...]
Foreign direct investment in UK to slow as investor priorities shift November 30, 2020 Foreign direct investment (FDI) is set to slow over the next 12 months, as Covid-19 impacts financial services firms’ investment plans in the UK. Last year investor sentiments placed financial services as the driving force of UK growth – the sector attracted 99 projects, equating to more than a quarter of all FDI in Europe, [...]
Saving the nation from a crisis November 26, 2020 In the late 1970s when I was taught economics as an undergraduate, we were told that savings equalled investment (S = I). Of course, there were caveats, mainly that we were dealing with a closed economic system without international trade and finance — in other words, not an economy which actually exists in the real [...]