Bad news, renters: This tax change does not benefit you July 25, 2016 If you're renting your home and feel the property ladder is but a dream, you might want to look away now… The recently introduced additional stamp duty charge on second homes will ultimately wind up hurting renters, a pressure group has warned today. The TaxPayers' Alliance is calling on the new chancellor to scrap the [...]
Speedy Hire raises hackles of Rottweiler July 24, 2016 One of Speedy Hire’s largest shareholders will call for an extraordinary general meeting this morning due to frustrations around its performance and management. The building equipment supplier’s share price has fallen sharply over the last couple of years due to a series of profit warnings. Toscafund, which has a near 20 per cent stake in Speedy [...]
Asset manager ICG talks up prospects after Brexit vote July 21, 2016 Alternative asset manager Intermediate Capital Group has told shareholders it is “well placed to deal with” Brexit uncertainty. Chief executive Christophe Evain, who recently said Brexit the vote was “terrible” for London in an interview with City A.M., acknowledged that reduced levels of M&A activity are expected after the referendum, “resulting in a slower investment pace in the [...]
From community shares to regional pension funds: How crowdfunding is changing investment forever July 21, 2016 If you're an optimist, you’ll likely think that we’ve only seen the start of what new technologies can offer – and change. Although growth across alternative finance has slowed in the past 18 months, the models found in the industry have continued to evolve at pace. One such development was announced last week. Crowdfunder, one of [...]
It’s time to end the scandal of hidden holiday money charges July 20, 2016 Holidays are expensive. Last year British families spent £26bn on holidays abroad. That’s around £2,000 each trip. Some were all inclusive, but many, perhaps even most journeys will have seen people change money to pay for things overseas. As we all get ready for our week in the sun this year, I decided to look [...]
Manny leaves Man Group: Arsenal and Remain supporter heading for Pimco July 20, 2016 On 30 April, as Arsenal faced Norwich at the Emirates Stadium, fans staged a protest with some targeting long-serving (and highly-paid) manager Arsene Wenger. Man Group chief executive Emmanuel (Manny) Roman – who, it was today announced, is leaving for Pimco –may well have felt some sympathy for his fellow Frenchman. The Gunners supporter was, after all, [...]
Four European hidden gem stocks for your portfolio July 20, 2016 Europe's investment markets are wallowing in an unprecedented level of support from the European Central Bank (ECB). They are being cossetted by a massive €1.7 trillion QE programme, much of which is likely to find its way into stock markets and raise share prices. Negative interest rates are also encouraging banks to invest and the ECB [...]
Women have some catching up to do with their pension pots July 20, 2016 Ladies are lagging behind gentlemen in the retirement savings stakes, research out today has found. The study by Aegon UK found a mere 10 per cent of women are prepared for retirement, compared with 14 per cent of men. Women's pensions pots look particular measly in comparison to men's, with women having £20,000 stashed away on average [...]
UK shares and property worst hit as investor confidence plummets after Brexit vote July 20, 2016 Investor confidence has suffered a “substantial drop” since the EU referendum, a new report has found. Lloyds Bank said its investor sentiment index, launched in March 2013, has fallen to its lowest ever level, turning negative for the first time. It found investor confidence is increasingly negative in relation to asset classes exposed to the UK. Read more: [...]
Pokémon Go: Should you invest in Nintendo? Investors are set for share price slump, but longer term virtual reality games will prove a winner July 20, 2016 The craze for newly-released mobile game Pokémon Go has sent shares in co-owner Nintendo up 75 per cent. Pokémon Go has been downloaded over 15m times since it was released last week. It currently ranks as the fastest adopted game in history. So far, it’s available to play in the UK, US, Germany, Australia and New [...]