Active success: what does Greek mythology teach us about investing? March 23, 2021 | City Talk At the end of the Trojan War, Odysseus sets sail to return to his family, his wealth, and his kingdom on the Greek island of Ithaca. The journey should have taken 10 days. Instead, it took 10 years. Odysseus encounters unexpected challenges on his voyage home. He is captured by a goddess. He battles the [...]
Wall Street rallies on tech rebound as FTSE closes in the green March 22, 2021 Wall Street closed in the green on Monday as technology stocks rebounded from a recent selloff sparked by surging bond yields. The tech-heavy Nasdaq index closed up 1.2 per cent, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones inched up 0.7 per cent and 0.2 per cent respectively. A sharp run-up in Treasury yields since mid-February [...]
Which lockdown habits could last a lifetime? March 22, 2021 | City Talk “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” This cautionary quip, attributed to Nobel Prize winning quantum physicist Niels Bohr, is applicable to anyone making forecasts, and particularly investors at this point in time. Stock markets will continue to be buffeted by daily newsflow around the pandemic. Successful investing in consumer stocks over the next [...]
Why transparency is key to see through the greenwash March 22, 2021 | Sponsored Adam Robbins, senior investment relationship manager at Triodos Investment Management, offers his view as to why transparency is so important when you’re exploring the many shades of ‘green’ impact investments. Globally, there are undeniable changes shaping our future, such as climate change, ecosystem collapse, population growth, and scarcity of natural resources. Add to those the [...]
Treasury mulls slashing higher-rate tax relief on pensions contributions March 20, 2021 The Treasury is reportedly considering huge cuts to tax relief on pensions contributions amid the spiralling cost of measures brought in during the pandemic. On 23 March, which has been dubbed “tax day”, the Treasury will announce new consultations on proposed taxation reforms, which could include reforms to pension tax. When people pay into their [...]
What investors can learn from Bill Gates’ climate warning March 19, 2021 | City Talk When one of the world’s wealthiest individuals writes a book on avoiding climate disaster – and suggests changes we all need to make to our lifestyles – it is easy to be cynical. But the high-profile intervention of Microsoft founder Bill Gates in the climate change debate should be welcomed. This is not just a [...]
On-demand pay: is it here to stay? March 16, 2021 | City Talk Millions around the globe depend on regular salaries and plan their budgets based on paydays. But the lockdown has made personal budgeting much more challenging. Many workers have lost their job and many others are now working remotely. Compounding near universal worries about future and immediate financial security are the added stress and logistical challenges [...]
BoE’s Bailey apologises to investors amid criticism over LCF collapse March 15, 2021 Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has apologised for his role in failing investors of collapsed mini-bond firm London Capital & Finance. His apology came amid rising pressure about his responsibility in a series of scandals during his role as head of the Financial Conduct Authority. On Monday morning, Bailey told BBC Radio 4 that [...]
UK economy shrank 2.9 per cent in January as third lockdown took hold March 12, 2021 Monthly GDP fell by 2.9 per cent in January as a fresh national lockdown took hold of the UK economy, according to new ONS data. The January figure, which was 9 per cent below its February 2020 level, was driven by a decline of 3.5 per cent in services, the Office for National Statistics said. [...]
No more fifty shades of green March 8, 2021 | Sponsored For quite some time now the term ‘fifty shades of green’ has been used to describe the investor challenge of wading through a sea of sustainable investment options, from dark green, to light green to just plain green-washing. The sustainable investment sector has grown exponentially in recent years, and while I very much welcome the [...]