Bitcoin investors warned they could unknowingly owe tax ahead of self-assessment deadline January 30, 2018 Bitcoin investors who made huge gains when the cryptocurrency’s value rocketed last year have been warned that they could unknowingly owe tax to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). However, there is some confusion around the issue, as Ed Molyneux, the boss and co-founder of cloud accounting software provider FreeAgent, explains: “HMRC sees bitcoin profits being [...]
Corporate bonds vs shares: eight questions answered January 30, 2018 Investors face a constant dilemma over which assets, such as shares, bonds and property, to invest in. The answer is often that a mix of assets can help meet your goals. Different investments can perform well at different times. For example, when shares languish, government or corporate bonds may fare better. This is considered to [...]
Oxfam would rather make us all poorer than feed the world January 22, 2018 In the film Groundhog Day, the protagonist is trapped in an infinite time-loop, constantly repeating the same experiences over and over again, each time hoping it will be the last, yet never seeming to learn the lesson. The 2018 Oxfam report on inequality has been released today with much fanfare, and, just like those before [...]
A year of President Trump: seven charts that reflect market reaction January 19, 2018 Donald Trump became president of the US on 20 January 2017. Markets reacted positively to his pro-business rhetoric and his promise to cut taxes and spend big on infrastructure. The global economy was already picking up a significant head of steam for the first time since the financial crisis. But Trump’s election and his policies [...]
Investment trust winners of 2017 January 11, 2018 Investment trusts enjoyed healthy investment returns last year, with funds focused on Japan delivering some of the best returns in 2017, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trusts vs open-ended funds. Here we [...]
Are UK markets overstretched? December 21, 2017 With the FTSE 100 and All-Share a wee bit below their all-time highs and valuations above average, many fear equities are too high and will soon fall. However, in our view, such worries are misplaced. Valuations aren’t predictive, and markets routinely set all-time highs during bull markets. We expect UK markets to keep making chart-topping [...]
Are UK markets overstretched? December 21, 2017 With the FTSE 100 and All-Share a wee bit below their all-time highs and valuations above average, many fear equities are too high and will soon fall. However, in our view, such worries are misplaced. Valuations aren’t predictive, and markets routinely set all-time highs during bull markets. We expect UK markets to keep making chart-topping [...]
Capitalism needs a makeover – and employee ownership can help December 20, 2017 As the leader of the Liberal Democrats, one of my aims is to address the falling social mobility and high levels of inequality that are fuelling public discontent and frustration in twenty-first century Britain. But this doesn’t simply mean taxing the incomes of high earners, as Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party would have it. High-earners are [...]
Why is Pakistan struggling to find its feet as a successful emerging market? December 18, 2017 The key dilemmas facing Pakistan’s equity market — a small investor base, few new listings on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), and shrinking turnover — are tied to the lack of trust among investors and issuers as well as unnecessary compliance and tax burdens. It will take greater professionalism among the intermediaries and the rationalization [...]
Taxman “rubbing its hands with glee” over bitcoin December 13, 2017 Interest in bitcoin has continued to boom despite concerns that the bubble could burst at any moment, and regulators are struggling to keep up. Today, news emerged that South Korea was considering taxing capital gains from cryptocurrency trading, prompting questions of how bitcoin could be taxed in the UK. “Any moves to introduce CGT [capital [...]