At the close: Opec uncertainty holds the FTSE 100 down June 2, 2016 What was a volatile day on the markets ended rather flat. Big European Central Bank (ECB) and Opec meetings in Vienna failed to move the FTSE 100 far in either direction and it ended down 0.1 per cent at 6,185.61 points. The ECB decided, as expected, to keep interest rates on hold. Though it did raise growth and [...]
Royal London wants to add a bit more clarity to income drawdown, and they’ve got just the product to do it June 2, 2016 Royal London has today launched a product which aims to give advisers a bit more insight into the sustainability of their clients' available income for drawdown. The Drawdown Governance Service, which is aimed at advisers whose clients hold an Income Release drawdown plan with Royal London, will provide details such as an income sustainability score and easy-to-read reports [...]
A vote to leave the EU could send the FTSE 100 south by 10 per cent over 12 months, bankers at UBS have warned June 2, 2016 Quitting the EU could knock the FTSE 100 back by 10 per cent over the next 12 months, to levels last recorded in February this year, UBS Wealth Management has warned. The pound would also take a hit, dropping to $1.25 and €1.20. In February the FTSE fell as low as 5536.97, 10 per cent off its current 6,185.79. The fall would [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 2, 2016 The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) are both in Vienna today to decide on their respective policies and could add an extra kick of volatility to global markets. Here's what you need to know before the market open at 14:30 London time. US futures are struggling ahead of the opening bell. [...]
Robo-advice can democratise finance by making investing easy and convenient June 2, 2016 The robots are here! But not in the Terminator sense. Think, rather, of Asimov’s creations. Or, for the less nerdy, Rosie from The Jetsons: benevolent machines, doing our hard work but better, faster and more reliably. Across almost all sectors, automation and digitisation are transforming daily lives. The world of investment is no exception. Robo-investing [...]
Quiz: Could you pass AQA’s tough “entrepreneurial” new business GCSE? June 2, 2016 After years of complaints from the nation's business owners, AQA has unveiled a new, more "entrepreneurial" business GCSE. Today the exam board said it was "shifting the focus from stock-taking to risk-taking" by adding "enterprise" as a topic, allowing students to study the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and learn how to think commercially and creatively (although you could [...]
Forget the work-life balance, we need to find the right “blend” June 2, 2016 It is time to abandon the idea of the work-life balance. Work and life don’t exist in separate, opposing spheres. In a world of 24 hour connectivity, the distinction between the two is increasingly impossible to make out. According to a survey by Willis Towers Watson, our pursuit of this illusive sense of balance is a [...]
You’ll probably live far longer than you think – and the implications are huge June 2, 2016 What is the most important number you can think of? Your bank balance? Your mortgage? US GDP or the FTSE 100? All of these are important but the one number you should be very focused on is a guess of your own life expectancy. Get that wrong and the chances are you will get a [...]
Crowdfunding: Why private equity opportunities are ever closer for investors June 2, 2016 Small business investment has gone mainstream – or has it? While individual private investors looking to back early-stage businesses are spoilt for choice as crowdfunding gathers pace, opportunities for them to provide private equity backing to more established SMEs remain scarce. Investing in such businesses is often more complex, but usually offers a better risk/return [...]
New regulation might be seriously ill-conceived, but there is still hope for equity crowdfunding in the US June 2, 2016 Ordinary American investors finally got permission to invest in startups and other private businesses last month. Equity crowdfunding, as this form of investment has come to be known, has been a reality in Britain for almost four years. Seedrs, the London-based platform I co-founded, became the first regulated equity crowdfunding platform in 2012. Since then, [...]
