Westminster’s Brexit deadlock means the only realistic route forward is a second referendum over May’s deal March 14, 2019 Observing the dog’s breakfast that is the Brexit process in Westminster brings to mind the saying attributed to Albert Einstein that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results. The second meaningful vote has gone the same way as the first, and hints are now dropping that [...]
UK house prices: Ongoing Brexit uncertainty will hurt housing market, says RICS March 14, 2019 UK house prices will continue to plunge this year as prolonged Brexit uncertainty weighs on the market, according to the latest forecasts. Read more: UK house prices: Experts cast doubt on 'volatile' price hike Buyer enquiries, agreed sales and instructions to sell have fallen for the sixth month running, according to the Royal Institute of [...]
Savills profits slide as it warns of tough year ahead amid Brexit uncertainty March 14, 2019 Property firm Savills has posted a three per cent slip in profit before tax in 2018 as it warned of a decline in transaction volumes over the year ahead. Read more: Savills to hit 2018 targets but warns of uncertainty in the year ahead The figures Group revenue rose 10 per cent to £1.76bn. Profit before [...]
Money laundering is a dirty business that we need to clean up together March 14, 2019 Flag it up, clean it up, flush it out, whatever the call to action, anti-money laundering (AML) legislation is worthy of laser focus. It also requires hyper-vigilance from the accountancy profession. Last week, parliament’s Treasury select committee warned that the UK’s current efforts to counter money laundering are “fragmented”, and that its supervision requires greater [...]
Businesses fear political threats and cyber attacks in uncertain risk environment March 14, 2019 More than three quarters of general counsels and board members view the risk landscape as having become significantly more complex in the last three years, with political risk cited as the number one risk facing businesses and technological risk a close second. A survey by law firm Clyde & Co and professional network organisation Winmark [...]
Tory MPs despair as May loses another Brexit vote, with Article 50 delay on the horizon March 14, 2019 Brexit is set to be delayed beyond 29 March after a tumultuous night in parliament saw a complete breakdown in Conservative party discipline. MPs backed taking no-deal off the table by 321 to 278, with 12 members of the government – including four cabinet ministers – refusing to follow Theresa May’s orders and vote against [...]
All the world’s a sound-stage March 13, 2019 | Sponsored Johnny Hon loves a show and he loves a stage. Unlike most globe-trotting international investors, he also finds time to invest in them. Hon, the founder and chairman of venture capital business and angel investor the Global Group, is a showbiz impresario, acting as an executive entertainment producer as an enjoyable sideline. UK-educated Hon is [...]
Spring Statement: Philip Hammond demands Brexit consensus as he warns of no deal dangers March 13, 2019 Philip Hammond used his Spring Statement today to urge MPs to compromise on Brexit as he launched a savage assessment on the economic risk of ‘no deal’. Speaking a day after parliament again voted down Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, the chancellor said leaving the EU without a deal would increase unemployment and food prices, and [...]
ii winter portfolios 2018-19 deliver mega profits March 13, 2019 | City Talk Four months into this six-month strategy and both our winter portfolios are thriving, writes Lee Wild. Finding a trading strategy that works 100 per cent of the time is the Holy Grail of investing. We’re not claiming to have found it here, and seasonal trading is not for everyone, but there is a statistical anomaly backed [...]
Enrolling with the times: How the workplace pension hike could affect you March 13, 2019 Since the government began phasing in auto-enrolment almost seven years ago, 10m people have now joined their workplace pension scheme. By encouraging Brits of all ages to save for retirement, the auto-enrolment system was designed to stop the UK from hurtling head-first into a pensions crisis. So far, it’s been a success. Even more people are [...]