Forget discrimination: The gender pay gap is driven by our (free) choices August 23, 2016 The IFS is an excellent think tank but its latest paper adds nothing to the debate. It’s on the gender pay gap, which it slices in various ways, but none of these slices tells us anything new about discrimination in the workplace. The gender pay gap is actually driven by choices men and women make, [...]
Falling ratios are far from critical according to Fitch August 23, 2016 A top ratings agency has given the UK's life insurance firms a vote of confidence, despite recent tough market conditions. The fall in bond yields over the first half of 2016 may be squeezing solvency ratios at Britain's leading life insurance companies but the decline is not enough to worry ratings agency Fitch, which said they "remain strong". Under Solvency II, insurers [...]
Watch out Carney: Here’s what Japan’s central bank just said about fintech August 23, 2016 The Bank of England made history this summer with the launch of the first ever fintech accelerator by a central bank. But, forward-thinking Mark Carney is not the only governor eyeing the potential of the fintech sector and its future role in monetary policy making and central banking. Haruhiko Kuroda, the governor of the Bank of Japan, has indicated [...]
The mobile payments battle just intensified in the UK August 23, 2016 iZettle is likely a familiar sight if you frequent small coffee shops or market stalls across the capital. The tiny card reading machine has sprung up across the UK, making it easier for shops to offer customers the option of paying by card without having to invest in the pricey systems offered by the big tech companies. [...]
Silver’s performance has been stellar this year, but will loose monetary policy and industrial demand allow it to maintain its surge? August 23, 2016 As Team GB celebrates second place on the Rio medals table, silver has seldom looked so good. It would appear that investors agree. Since the start of the year, the price of gold has risen over 25 per cent, but silver has outpaced it, rising by more than 30 per cent. It’s now at $18.89 [...]
UK jobs rebuffed Brexit woes in July, finds Robert Walters August 22, 2016 The UK jobs market warmed up throughout July, as employers got back into action following the Brexit vote, research from one specialist recruitment consultancy has found. Figures from Robert Walters, seen exclusively by City A.M., found the number of vacancies advertised across the UK jumped by 21 per cent in July compared with June. Employers were keen [...]
It pays to be active and focused as an asset manager, study finds August 22, 2016 Active asset managers with a sector focus have been backed to outperform peers by a new report. Northill Capital found they have “significantly outperformed both generalist active asset managers and passive mandates across multiple asset classes over the past five years”. Read more: Lord Rothschild talks of "experiments" and "uncharted waters" Researchers compared the average five-year [...]
How the office of the future will lure staff back from home August 22, 2016 Today's workers are nomads. But tomorrow’s workers are less likely to be. Two thirds of workers say that they work more productively in the office than anywhere else, according to a new survey we have conducted, and half say that working away from the office makes them feel stressed and disconnected from colleagues. As businesses [...]
Classic cars, fine wine, coins and racehorses: One in six investors now has money in a “hobby” investment August 22, 2016 Call them sentimental, but more and more investors are turning their pastimes into profits, according to a new study from Lloyds Private Banking. One in six investors now cultivates a "hobby investment", spending on average £13,500 on a single item, though one in 10 is willing to splash out £50,000 on an individual item. The most popular [...]
Emerging markets funds hot, China not, for investors this summer August 22, 2016 Investors have turned away from China-only funds this summer, according to one online retail investment platform. But emerging markets funds have proved popular. Rplan.co.uk said that between 1 June and 15 August, it recorded a 75 per cent increase in flows to emerging markets funds compared with the same period last year. Meanwhile, China-only funds experienced [...]
