At the close: FTSE 100 sinks as Brexit fears send sterling to two month lows June 13, 2016 Resource stocks made up the majority of only a handful of risers on the FTSE 100 today as investors fretted over Brexit and sterling took a beating. The FTSE 100 closed at 6,044.97 – down 1.16 per cent on the day – and at its lowest level in three months. In March it was trading as low as 6,036, though had [...]
LV calls on government to make financial guidance at retirement age compulsory June 13, 2016 One financial services company has today called on government to make the provision of guidance to those reaching retirement compulsory. Revealing how it had responded to a Treasury consultation, LV warned that the introduction of the pension freedoms rules had made it increasingly difficult for people to assess how to handle their money during their [...]
This is why the UK is facing a time bomb of retirement woes June 13, 2016 Longer lives have combined with scant savings to put the UK on the road to pensions chaos, one financial advisory firm has today warned. Chase de Vere notes life expectancy has increased substantially in recent years, with Office for National Statistics showing the average life expectancy for a 65-year-old man has increased 29 per cent over the last [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 13, 2016 China's decelerating economy is causing fresh concern across international markets and the International Monetary Fund isn't helping. Here's what you need to know before the US market opens at 14:30 London time. The US market is pointing heavily south ahead of the open. The S&P 500 is down by 0.31 per cent in the pre-market. The Nasdaq [...]
Tennis star Andy Murray serves up three more investments via Seedrs June 13, 2016 Tennis star and former Wimbledon champ Andy Murray has announced three more investments in British startups, made via the crowdfunding platform Seedrs. Murray, who lost to rival Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open last weekend, has invested in Beeline, Dog Tracker Nano and blow LTD. The size of the investments has not been disclosed. Beeline is [...]
Fintech helps to push foreign direct investment in UK financial services sector to highest level since 2006 June 13, 2016 Foreign investors can't get enough of the UK's financial services market, with a report out today discovering that fintech has helped push foreign direct investment (FDI) to its highest level since 2006. The research by professional services firm EY discovered that, in 2015, there were 94 FDI projects in the UK's financial services sector, which in turn generated 8,138 [...]
Week ahead: Investors watch BoE and sterling as EU vote nears June 13, 2016 Brexit braying and the Bank of England’s interest rate decision will be closely followed by investors this week. Ahead of the BoE’s announcement on Thursday we’ll hear from the US Federal reserve, and though markets are not expecting a move from either, investors will be paying close attention to the language used by policy makers. [...]
Why crowdfunders need to focus on finding the best deal for investors rather than offering the highest valuation for companies seeking finance June 10, 2016 In Britain, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 99.9 per cent of the nation’s private sector businesses, employing 15.6m people and boasting a combined annual turnover of £1.8 trillion. Worryingly, however, despite their importance to the British economy, more than half of these SMEs will fail within the first five years of establishment, with insufficient capital [...]
Pension freedoms haven’t inspired people to shop around for better deals, as charity slams proposed exit charge cap for being too high June 10, 2016 Critics of the pensions freedoms worried it would lead to pensioners going on shopping sprees for Lamborghinis. However, research out today suggests they should have been more concerned about them not shopping around for the best pensions deal. The study by Citizens Advice discovered that seven out of ten people who have dipped into their pensions pot since [...]
At the close: FTSE falls as miners give up gains June 9, 2016 The FTSE 100 lost ground today as miners slumped. A fall in the oil price, as well as disappointing numbers out of China, meant the blue-chip index snapped its four-day winning streak. The FTSE finished at 6,231.89, down by 1.1 per cent. The FTSE 100 had risen in its previous four sessions. US stocks also dragged as investors worried [...]