Solvency II reforms will not be a ‘free lunch’ for insurance sector, Bank of England says July 8, 2022 The Bank of England (BoE) has said its post-Brexit shakeup of the rules that govern the UK’s insurance industry will not be a “free lunch” for the sector, that puts policyholders at risk. In a speech on Friday, Sam Woods, chief executive of the BoE’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) said policyholders must be protected as [...]
Savings rates still too low to tempt regular investors to move more money into cash July 8, 2022 Regular UK investors believe savings rates are still not high enough to tempt them to move more money into cash. Just 35% say they have put more of their investments into cash accounts since the Bank of England started hiking the base rate in December last year with five increases taking it from 0.1% to [...]
London markets ignore Johnson exit as banks lead FTSE 100 higher July 7, 2022 London markets today shrugged off prime minister Boris Johnson bowing to days of pressure and ministerial resignations and quitting office. The capital’s premier index jumped 1.14 per cent to 7,189.08 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, climbed 1.51 per cent to 18,875.53 points. Investors have been muted to the upheaval at Westminster over [...]
Fund managers call for FCA blockchain taskforce in plans for ‘Investment Fund 3.0’ July 7, 2022 The UK’s top investment body called on government and regulators to harness the benefit of cryptocurrencies and decentralised finance today, as it claimed the industry was on the cusp of a “major technological transformation”.
Finding opportunities in stagflationary times July 7, 2022 Slowing growth and rising inflation is a negative combination for both equity and bond markets. Nevertheless, there are opportunities emerging for global equity investors. This has been a challenging year for equities. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to soaring energy and commodity prices, a global stock market slump and elevated volatility. Recession appears likely, [...]
Whoever leads the No11 regime must learn spending will only fuel inflation July 7, 2022 The year ends with a two. We have a Prime Minister who reset Britain’s relationship with Europe and has suddenly appointed an inexperienced Chancellor. The new regime in Downing Street now promises tax cuts in the face of high inflation. Am I mad, in a coma, or has the Tory Party travelled back in time? [...]
Sajid Javid’s speech is one for the history books for everything but its substance July 7, 2022 Sajid Javid’s resignation speech, delivered to a packed House of Commons yesterday, was, in truth, not very good. His language was leaden. Cliches abounded. Metaphors were mixed and invariably, to use George Orwell’s term, “dead”: so overused that they “have lost all evocative power.” The delivery too was poor. At the critical moment, the climax [...]
London markets bounce back after bruising European sell off July 6, 2022 London markets bounced back today from a bruising session earlier in the week as investors pared back their concerns over some of their world’s top economies dropping into recession and shrugged off drama at Downing Street. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index surged 1.17 per cent to 7,107.77 points, while the mid-cap domestically-focused FTSE 250 [...]
PMI: House building shrinks for first time since beginning of pandemic July 6, 2022 A slowdown in the UK economy triggered by the cost of living crisis has led to house building stalling, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Activity in the UK house building sector dropped for the first time since May 2020, when the country was in the teeth of the most onerous pandemic restrictions, according [...]
Rising mortgage costs already eating into a third of annual income, research finds July 6, 2022 The rising cost of a mortgage is already eating into nearly a third of homeowners’ annual income, according to new research, casting even more concern over looming rates rises. UK households are this year facing a historic cost of living squeeze, which is expected to prompt the Bank of England to hike interest and mortgage [...]