Revisiting Beta: How well has Beta predicted returns? September 7, 2021 | City Talk After the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) was developed in the 1960s and 1970s, financial researchers started to test how well this theoretical model actually worked in the real world. Amid expanding computing power and greater data access, the 1980s became a critical era for gauging CAPM’s validity as analysts explored beta’s effectiveness in anticipating [...]
Here’s how much you must put into your child’s JISA to get them on the housing ladder September 6, 2021 Parents and grandparents face putting away more than £3,000 per year typically to help children on to the property ladder in adulthood, and in London it’s more than double that. A child born in 2021 would need average annual deposits of £3,129 into their Junior Isa (Jisa) to afford the average UK first-time buyer deposit [...]
Climate progress tracker improves on higher carbon prices and electric vehicle sales August 31, 2021 | City Talk Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued a landmark scientific report that serves as a “code red for humanity”, according to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres. It comes three months before the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), warns of climate catastrophe and lays the blame firmly at the door of human activity. [...]
Benchmarking has become circular August 31, 2021 | City Talk Time and again throughout my career I have ranted about the nonsense of benchmarking in all its forms. By now I have given up on the hope that business and investing will ever leave the practice behind, so I don’t expect this post to change anything except to make me feel better. I spoke recently [...]
FCA says it cannot supervise crypto exchange Binance effectively August 25, 2021 UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has admitted that it is “not capable” of effectively supervising Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by trade volume in a statement published today. In a supervisory note the watchdog today reiterated its concerns over Binance’s products, which allow consumers to take supercharged bets, and added that the crypto exchange [...]
Afghanistan: World Bank freezes funding after Taliban takeover August 25, 2021 The World Bank has halted funding for projects in Afghanistan after the country’s fall to Taliban control. The Washington-based financial institution cited concerns over Afghanistan’s future development prospects in the wake of drastic leadership change, particularly for the nation’s women. The halt on aid disbursements is set to continue while the bank assesses how the [...]
Afterpay marketing costs double in bid to secure US payments market August 25, 2021 Australian transactions firm Afterpay has watched its losses widen in the past year, as it ramped up costs in a bid to secure the US market. Marketing costs more than doubled in the year to June, as the firm attempted to capitalise on the pandemic-induced buy now, pay later (BNPL) services boom – which accompanied [...]
ESG: full speed ahead, sat-nav still required August 24, 2021 | City Talk Sustainable investing based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors has become central to how we invest. Investors are demanding more from their asset managers: they want to invest based on their values and they are demanding more accountability from companies about addressing changing societal issues. Indeed, the Index Industry Association (IIA)’s most current latest [...]
Under the bonnet: Why a financial MOT should be on your to-do list August 23, 2021 | Sponsored Just like your car, your finances need keeping an eye on to ensure everything is running smoothly. Even if you have a solid financial plan in place, it still needs to be updated from time to time to ensure it reflects any life changes. Clients of Brewin Dolphin’s financial planning service have their arrangements reviewed [...]
The piggybank: Giving your child a financial head start this tax year August 23, 2021 | Sponsored With eye-watering university fees and spiralling house prices to contend with, you might think you need to be a millionaire to give your child a financial head start in life. Yet investing relatively small amounts of money into a Junior ISA each month could put your child on the path to a more secure future. [...]