Small UK businesses remain confident despite uncertain outlook March 18, 2019 Three-quarters of Britain’s small and medium-sized businesses are confident about their growth prospects over the next 12 months despite tough political and economic conditions, according to new research. Read more: UK economy rebounds in January after December slump Almost 40 per cent describe themselves as “very optimistic”, with 70 per cent of small and medium-sized [...]
House prices fall in London as buyers await Brexit resolution March 18, 2019 London house prices fell in March as Brexit uncertainty held back the usual spring bounce, and are down almost four per cent year on year, a new report has said. The number of sales agreed by estate agents in February was also nearly 10 per cent lower in the capital than a year before, property [...]
London hosts bulk of Britain’s £100bn of secretly owned property March 17, 2019 Over 87,000 properties in England and Wales are owned anonymously through companies registered in tax havens, it has been revealed today. Together, these properties are worth at least £56bn, according to Land Registry data, and likely worth more than £100bn when accounting for inflation, according to new analysis by anti-corruption organisation Global Witness. Read more: [...]
10 most popular funds in February 2019 March 15, 2019 | City Talk By Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor. UK shares look cheap, but Brexit uncertainty has stopped some fund investors into their home market. From both a growth and an income perspective, the UK stockmarket is as cheap as chips, but retail investors continue to shy away, data from our parent company interactive investor shows. On the [...]
The Brexit unknown: how the votes moved markets – and what next March 15, 2019 | City Talk British politics has faced a turbulent week: three nights of Brexit votes, a Spring Statement and a downgrade to economic growth. Market prices have swung on each twist as investors attempt to digest a constantly shifting set of possible outcomes. The single constant factor is uncertainty. With the scheduled exit date of 29 March looming, [...]
Trading on WTO terms would be no panacea for global Britain March 15, 2019 Despite the series of votes this week, a no-deal Brexit remains a real possibility. In fact, it is still the legal default unless a deal is struck or the EU agrees to extend Article 50. Many Brexiteers – 308 MPs, in fact – appear to think that this is the best Brexit option. Their assumption [...]
State-centric and uninspiring: The Spring Statement wasn’t much to get excited about March 15, 2019 Who has time to care about a Spring Statement when the unfolding Brexit process feels like watching a cross between Saw 3 and a monster truck rally? This has been a problem for two and a half years – the Brexit black hole has sucked time and resources away from almost every other area of [...]
IEA says attacks on tax havens undermine competition and privacy March 15, 2019 The Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA) has today attacked the UK government’s crackdown on tax havens, saying it undermines competition and breaches people’s right to privacy. Laws to make it public knowledge who avoids tax by registering companies in overseas British territories contradict principles of liberal democracy and damage the economy, the free-market think tank’s [...]
SEC sues Volkswagen over ‘massive fraud’ on US investors during emissions scandal March 15, 2019 Volkswagen perpetrated a “massive fraud” on US investors over its diesel emissions scandal, according to a major regulatory body now suing the firm. Read more: Volkswagen boss apologises for 'unfortunate' Nazi gaffe The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a civil complaint against the company overnight, claiming that the car manufacturer issued more than $13b [...]
Avesero shares lay flat despite massive jump in earnings and revenues at gold miner March 14, 2019 Gold miner Avesoro’s shares lay flat today despite a massive jump in revenues and earnings as the company admitted it was unlikely to generate free cash in the short term. The firm saw a significant increase in the value of its mine, nearly doubling the reserves. “The long term picture is much better than it [...]