Five ways to clean up your buy-to-let portfolio in 2019 January 9, 2019 While January is a great time to be making financial resolutions, with many over-spending at Christmas, it’s sometimes best to concentrate on making the most of what you already have. For 2.5m people owning £1.4 trillion of buy-to-let, investment property is the best place to start. It comprises an enormous part of personal wealth, it [...]
Government commits to maintaining ‘triple lock’ state pension uprating for UK expats in Europe in the event of no-deal Brexit January 8, 2019 The government has allayed concerns it may stop increasing the state pension in line with inflation for hundreds of thousands of expats retiring to countries in the EU. Currently, UK expats who have retired to the bloc receive the so called triple lock uprating, meaning their state pension rises in line with the highest of [...]
Richard Buxton steps down as chief executive of Merian Global Investors after Old Mutual spin off January 8, 2019 Richard Buxton has stepped down as the chief executive of Merian Global Investors following a management buyout and rebranding of the business from Old Mutual Global last year. As a major shareholder, Buxton will remain on the Merian’s board and continue to lead the equities team and manage his UK Alpha fund. His successor, Mark [...]
Pantheon opens Dublin office as part of Brexit planning January 8, 2019 Investment firm Pantheon has opened a Dublin office in order to continue doing business within the EU after Brexit. The private equity, infrastructure, real assets and debt investor, which has $42.3bn assets under management, is authorised as an EU Alternative Investment Fund Manager in Ireland, and the five-strong team will be lead by chief executive [...]
The impact investing trend is here to stay January 8, 2019 From recycling waste to reducing plastic consumption to going vegan for the month of January, more and more people today are conscious of the impact they have on the planet. This outlook has extended to investing, as a new generation of finance customers start to raise questions about exactly where their money is being directed. [...]
Financial markets 2018: the year in review January 7, 2019 | City Talk After two years of steady growth in asset prices, 2018 proved more of a challenge for investors, particularly in the last three months of the year. US president Donald Trump’s tax cuts had provided an added boost for investors heading into 2018, and US GDP growth accelerated to 4.2 per cent on an annualised quarterly basis [...]
Vanguard retains fastest-growing fund manager title January 7, 2019 Vanguard has maintained its role as the world’s fastest-growing fund manager for the seventh year in a row. The fund manager confirmed it collected net inflows of $232bn (£181.69bn) last year, compared to the world’s largest asset manager Blackrock, which attracted net inflows of $73.8bn in the first nine months of 2018. It is the fifth [...]
FTSE 350 defined benefit pension scheme deficit soars at close of 2018 amid falling stocks January 7, 2019 Defined benefit pension scheme deficit among FTSE 350 firms surged to £41bn by the end of 2018, up from £32bn the previous year, driven by falling asset prices. The figure, a 28 per cent increase, came at the end of a volatile year which saw pension schemes in surplus for five months from May to [...]
Forex 2019: Dollar rally to fade? January 7, 2019 | City Talk The course of 2018 saw a firming in the US dollar against just about every other currency. But the factors that contributed to this steady rise may be starting to diminish. The big question facing the FX markets this year is whether the dollar can continue to push higher or whether the softening in December [...]
Londoners set to bag two per cent pay rise in 2019 as job vacancies jump January 4, 2019 London workers will enjoy a 2.4 per cent increase in their salaries this year, making the capital one of the best cities in the UK for pay rises. The welcome boost to pay packets will take the average salary in the capital to £38,600, according to a new report from online job site CV Library. [...]