Estate agents, housebuilders and other property shares slide on downbeat house price forecasts July 22, 2016 Property companies were the FTSE's biggest fallers this morning, after a raft of downbeat forecasts surrounding the UK's housing market. Countrywide, the UK's largest estate agent, was one the biggest faller on the FTSE 250 in early trading, with its shares falling 7.2 per cent to 233.7p. However, property portal Zoopla and Crest Nicholson were also both [...]
Leaving the Single Market would blow a £14bn hole in the public finances July 21, 2016 Before the referendum, George Osborne claimed a Brexit vote would require an emergency Budget of tax hikes and big spending cuts. While the new chancellor has said that he will wait until the Autumn Statement before he makes any changes to fiscal policy, it is unclear what he will choose to do. But what is [...]
Britain hasn’t lost Arm: Its acquisition is the start of a new Great British tech story July 19, 2016 A week ago, many were wondering whether the UK’s tech sector would become less relevant in a post-Brexit world. The news of Arm’s acquisition by SoftBank for £24bn means many things for UK tech – but irrelevance is not one of them. This acquisition is positive and timely news. Following the referendum, it’s an immediate vote [...]
How six City analysts reacted to Arm’s acquisition by Softbank July 18, 2016 Another ripe fruit was plucked from the tree of UK plc today, after Japanese lender Softbank announced it was acquiring Arm Holdings, the rockstar chip designer. Not surprisingly, shares in the company, whose clients include Apple and Samsung, shot up more than 40 per cent on the announcement of the news. But how did the City [...]
Labour will need more than a change of leader July 18, 2016 Attention politics junkies: do you feel robbed of a drawn-out party leadership election? Before Andrea Leadsom dropped out of the Tory race we were all set for a nine-week campaign. And then before it had even started, there was just one candidate remaining. If you’re wondering what political news to feast on this summer instead [...]
Investing beyond 100: How rising life expectancy will change everything July 14, 2016 A century is an important milestone worthy of celebration. We recently commemorated 100 years since the Battle of the Somme. Vogue made headlines in May for featuring a 100-year old model to celebrate the magazine’s centenary year. On your hundredth birthday, you can expect to receive a message from the Queen. But what happens when living [...]
Tory leadership contender and energy minister Andrea Leadsom has published her 2014/15 tax return July 10, 2016 Tory leadership contender Andrea Leadsom has published details of her tax affairs after becoming one of the final two candidates to succeed David Cameron. The figures prepared by Isis Accountants of Wellingborough show a total income of £83,930 for 2014/15, with £7,333 derived from dividends, tax credits and interest on top of her ministerial salary. [...]
The risks and rewards of SME investing: Not all small business investments are made equal June 30, 2016 The emergence of crowdfunding has made SME investing – once a relatively hard-to-access asset class – now open to everyone. This is great news for small and mid-sized businesses and for investors alike. After all, small businesses are a key driver of economic growth, and the returns potential can be substantial. However, as with any [...]
Amazon who? Ocado shares jump as it delivers 14 per cent sales rise June 28, 2016 Everyone and their mum may be trying to get into the food delivery business at the moment (Amazon and Uber have both just launched offerings…) – but Ocado has suggested with experience comes wisdom, after it posted a juicy rise in sales. The figures Retail sales rose 13.9 per cent to £582.9m in the 24 weeks to the end of May, [...]
Here’s what Brexit might do to your tax bill June 23, 2016 If the UK votes to leave the EU today, tax experts are advising that it could result in a shakeup to certain parts of the tax regime – although exactly how is not quite certain. Will a Brexit vote result in a complete overhaul of tax as we know it? While some taxation rules might be ripe for a [...]