GLI Finance Louise Beaumont says the industry is becoming increasingly dog eat dog July 7, 2016 Like all parts of financial services, the alternative finance sector is coming to terms with the post-referendum landscape and what the Brexit decision means for the future. This comes on top of the ongoing issues at US marketplace lender Lending Club which have continued to attract negative headlines. With the tectonic plates of alternative lending continuing [...]
Our in-built biases mean we’ll dismiss the better hire just because someone else seems naturally gifted July 7, 2016 Our society has long held a fascination for people we perceive to be naturally talented. From child prodigies to gifted performers, we see them as wonders of nature, imbued with enviable, raw talent. And while we also love an “overcoming adversity” storyline – people who overcome challenges through hard work and dedication – how do our [...]
Something old, something new… Each wedding this summer will cost you nearly a week’s salary July 6, 2016 We've all suspected that the annual wedding season puts us out of pocket, but thanks to research from American Express we know just how much it's going to cost us. Guests are set to spend almost an average week's salary, £479, on each wedding they attend this summer – which is just £24 less than the UK's [...]
Hedge fund managers find positives in Brexit vote July 6, 2016 Hedge fund managers are finding positives in last month's Brexit vote, a new survey has found. Some 31 per cent of 67 surveyed by Preqin expect a positive short-term impact from the vote to Leave the EU, and nine per cent predicted a longer-term boost. Just 13 per cent of those surveyed anticipated a negative [...]
Columbia Threadneedle’s property funds become the latest to suspend trading July 6, 2016 Columbia Threadneedle has become the latest firm to suspend trading on property funds. Both the Threadneedle UK Property Authorised Investment Fund (Threadneedle PAIF) and the Threadneedle UK Property Authorised Trust suspended at 12pm on Wednesday. It follows Aviva, M&G, Henderson, Standard Life and Canada Life in suspending trading on UK property funds. Read more: Fourth property fund suspension announced [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 6, 2016 Sterling and bond yields continue to slide, though gold has been labelled as the go-to investment for the rest of the year. Here's what you need to know before the US market opens at 2:30pm London time. US stock futures are not looking good ahead of the open. The S&P is down by 0.62 per cent, the Nasdaq is [...]
The gig economy should matter to professionals: Here’s why July 6, 2016 For anyone living or working in London, it is almost impossible to have missed the rapid emergence of the gig economy in recent years. You can’t move for Uber taxis, Deliveroo scooter drivers and Airbnb accommodation, which have spawned a generation of independent workers servicing on-demand markets. But, for those working in professional services, the trend [...]
Pensions under threat from Brexit July 6, 2016 Savers have faced the biggest shake-up to the pensions system in a generation under the watch of chancellor George Osborne. Many of the changes are controversial, and others have been announced yet not formalised. But Brexit has put a spanner in the works – as negotiations over a deal with Europe under a new Conservative leader [...]
Britain will retain its golden spirit of enterprise if we keep backing entrepreneurs July 5, 2016 One of the more astonishing features of the British economy over the last few months, and indeed the last turbulent few weeks, has been the robustness of the UK’s small business owners, particularly its growing army of high-growth tech entrepreneurs. In the most challenging of environments leading up to the Brexit vote, the London Stock [...]
Canada is the world’s best-performing investment market this year July 5, 2016 Canada has been the best-performing stock market in the world this year, defying the knock-on effects of Brexit carnage to give investors double-digit returns. The MSCI Canada index has risen 15.5 per cent year to date in US dollar terms compared to just 1.6 per cent from the MSCI All Countries World index. Many global stock [...]