Could these European stock market sectors offer the most value in 2018? December 11, 2017 This European stock market outlook is taken from a series of Schroders investment outlooks for 2018. Go to Insights for the full selection. Our central view is that inflation will pick up over the medium term and therefore a value skew is likely to be appropriate for investors in European equities. By value, we mean [...]
Business group warns on UK’s digital skills gap December 11, 2017 The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on the government to tackle the digital skills shortage in smaller firms or risk stalling productivity. It claimed that more than a quarter of business owners in England lack confidence in their basic digital skills while 22 per cent believe a lack of basic digital skills among [...]
Labour plans to move the Bank of England to Birmingham: Lord Adonis gives John McDonnell’s idea the thumbs-up December 11, 2017 Influential peer Lord Adonis has backed a suggestion from John McDonnell that the Bank of England move to Birmingham. The Bank of England has been based in London for more than 300 years. However, Labour’s shadow chancellor has concluded the bank’s current location is “unsatisfactory and leads to the regions being underweighted in policy decisions”. [...]
Finally, all UK banks pass the stress tests: is now the time to invest? December 8, 2017 Imagine you emerged blinking from your bunker in the wake of this: interest rates up to 4 per cent the value of the pound down more than a quarter unemployment up almost 10 per cent residential property prices down by a third commercial real estate prices down by two-fifths world and UK GDP down 2.4 [...]
A short history of investing in gold – and what to expect for 2017 December 8, 2017 Gold is coveted by investors for its rarity. As a precious metal with limited supply, it is seen as a store of value when the real value of other assets, and currencies, can be manipulated. But fundamentally, its high worth is underpinned by its usefulness and attractiveness. Not only is it highly malleable but [...]
Brexit will require major review of financial services regulation, claims IRSG and Linklaters report December 8, 2017 Brexit will force an overhaul of the UK’s regulation of financial services, creating new checks and balances to ensure the system remains “proportionate, coherent and fit for purpose”, a new report argues. Rule-making currently exercised jointly by the European Parliament and member states through the Council of Ministers and responsibilities from the European Supervisory Authorities [...]
How the UK’s regulatory framework protects P2P investors December 7, 2017 The peer-to-peer (P2P) lending market was established in 2005, when Zopa became the first platform to connect individual lenders directly with borrowers. Since then, the market has evolved rapidly, as have the regulations underpinning investor protection – and this looks set to continue. In the UK, the sector has been overseen by the [...]
Successful quantitative easing is all about keeping the flow, rather than standing still December 5, 2017 Quantitative easing only works if central banks keep buying assets – rather than simply holding them – a Bank of England economist has written. A blog by the Richard Harrison, a member of the Bank of England’s monetary assessment and strategy division, urged central banks to resist the temptation of hanging onto assets they have [...]
UK investors save 11.3 per cent of salary for retirement – is it enough? December 4, 2017 UK investors currently save an average of 11.3 per cent of their income specifically for retirement, according to a major new study. The Schroders Global Investor Study (GIS) 2017 found that non-retired UK investors are saving a higher proportion of their income for retirement than the European average (9.9 per cent), and roughly the same [...]
Can Open Banking fulfil expectations? December 4, 2017 There’s a storm brewing in the banking world as companies brace for a huge shake-up in the financial services industry. Open Banking, which forms part of the revised Payments Services Directive (PSD2), is a new digital standard that aims to make it easier for people to switch current accounts, among other things. But there are [...]