How can we get ourselves to save more? Use behavioural economics February 1, 2017 It's a convenient excuse – we all vow to save more when we earn more. A new survey by YouGov for Zurich UK of British adults in work found that more than two fifths (42 per cent) said that earning more would encourage them to save more into a pension. Unfortunately, they rarely actually do [...]
Why active investing is staging a comeback in 2017 February 1, 2017 Fashions wax and wane in investing as much as in any other field. But one fashion that many commentators believe is much more than a passing fad is passive investing. So much so that some would extrapolate the explosive growth of passive funds in the last few years and predict the demise of active investing [...]
Private equity assets reach a record of almost $2.5 trillion – double the size before the global financial crisis January 31, 2017 The global private equity industry has doubled in size since the global financial crisis to reach a record level of assets under management, according to a new report. The industry now manages $2.49 trillion in investor money, according to the latest figures from data provider Preqin. Assets under management have risen for eight consecutive years [...]
Slow and steady? Pension deficits need not be closed as report reveals trustees need to refocus January 31, 2017 Spiralling pension deficits are distracting those empowered to manage schemes away from making sure members receive the correct payouts. Almost all pension trustees do not see paying members as a key strategic driver, with many getting bogged down in the detail and failing to see the bigger picture, according to a report by actuarial specialists [...]
Investors failed to keep calm and carry on in 2016, despite markets hitting new highs January 31, 2017 Investors were spooked by politics in 2016 and, despite markets like the FTSE 100 hitting record highs, fund sales were at their lowest since 2008, new figures show. Total net sales for 2016 were £13bn, according to the Investment Association, down from £22.4bn in 2015. Retail investors proved the most pessimistic, with sales totalling £4.7bn, down [...]
China, Mexico, Japan: Who’s afraid of Trump’s protectionism? January 31, 2017 Anyone hoping that Donald Trump’s campaign promises were just talk can’t have been encouraged by this weekend’s events. Stock markets fell and the dollar was volatile yesterday on the news that the President had signed an executive order banning the entry of people from seven countries. Assumptions that he would row back from his more protectionist [...]
‘Hot iron’ trial by ordeal: a 13th Century lesson for investors January 30, 2017 | City Talk Trial by ordeal was an ancient way of determining someone’s guilt or innocence by making them undergo a painful, often potentially lethal, experience. If they survived unscathed – or at any rate survived – they were deemed to be innocent of whatever charge had been levelled against them and, by the Middle Ages, the [...]
How to take the headache out of paying your small business tax bill January 30, 2017 The self-assessment tax deadline is tomorrow, and it isn’t just individual taxpayers feeling the heat. Many small businesses, particularly those structured as limited liability partnerships, will also need to file their tax returns and make payments to HMRC. Tax – whether corporation tax, business rates or VAT – can be a tricky issue for SMEs. We [...]
Deposit protection limit for savings to be bumped back up to £85,000 tomorrow January 29, 2017 Savers will have an extra £10,000 safeguarded as of tomorrow, as the deposit protection limit is increased back up to £85,000. The deposit protection limit under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which is designed to protect consumers' cash should lenders run into hot water, was cut to £75,000 last year in an effort to put [...]
Bonus season: If you’re thinking of spending it on property, here are the top London hotspots you should be looking at January 27, 2017 It’s bonus season in the City and now you’ve got the enviable task of deciding what to spend it on. Historically low interest rates means putting the whole lot into an ISA isn’t quite as appealing as it once was. But house price growth particularly in the outer boroughs – Newham, Havering, Brent and Croydon [...]