Berlusconi’s ghost haunts Italy’s general election – and reveals the polarisation of its politics February 22, 2018 Liberal commentators regularly liken President Trump to the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The huge personal fortune, the unabashed anti-immigration, tax-cutting populism, even the perma-tanned complexion – the comparisons are irresistible. Yet having previously served three terms as Prime Minister, Mr Berlusconi is no insurgent outsider in Italian politics. With barely two weeks to [...]
Five habits of good investing February 21, 2018 Taking a long-term view History suggests the stock market is the best way to grow wealth over the long term, easily outpacing interest rates on cash. However, significant market falls are also a part of investing and notoriously difficult to predict. It is worth remembering that the longer you invest for the greater your chances [...]
Meeting your ISA subscription before the end of the tax year February 20, 2018 If you have not used up your ISA allowance for the tax year 2017/18, you are running out of time to make the most of this opportunity. The ISA allowance cannot be carried over once the end of the tax year is reached on April 5 so, if any of the £20,000 allowance you are [...]
Financial planning: Tax efficient investing February 20, 2018 The start of a new year is the perfect time to start reviewing your financial arrangements to make sure that you paying only as much tax as you need to. In order to ensure your finances are in the best possible shape for you and your family, follow our guide to maximising your tax efficiency [...]
Where next for markets as Europe moves from recovery to expansion? February 16, 2018 Market volatility rose at the start of February against a backdrop of strong economic data, causing many investors to question whether the bull-run for the stock market was over. Can Europe’s economic momentum continue and how will tighter monetary policy affects investments? At the 2018 Schroders Investment Conference investment experts discussed the economic outlook for [...]
Global markets are correcting not crashing February 7, 2018 When it came, the correction looked brutal: $4 trillion wiped off global stocks in a single day. But let’s not get carried away here. This was a correction rather than a rout whatever the newspapers might have us believe. The Dow Jones is still up 21% compared with the same time a year ago. The [...]
S&P 500’s 4% fall: How the US stock market has performed after big one day losses February 6, 2018 The US stock market falls this week will have understandably unnerved investors the world over. The S&P 500 fell 4.1 per cent on Monday, the largest one day fall since August 2011, when markets feared contagion from the European sovereign debt crisis. Today, the concerns are less profound and actually stem from a bright economic [...]
Momentum are coming for us like White Walkers, but we’ve got our Muhammad Ali: Tory MPs share their fears on the forthcoming elections February 6, 2018 With just under 90 days to go until local elections in the capital, Conservative Party HQ is going into overdrive to show it can fend off the multiple threats of Brexit tensions, a vulnerable leadership, the fallout from the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the rise of the Corbyn-supporting Momentum campaign group. The Tories face a [...]
Deutsche Bank posts third annual loss in a row after US tax hit | City A.M. February 2, 2018 Deutsche Bank today posted its third annual loss in a row as a previously announced €1.4bn hit from the US tax reforms and a poor investment banking performance pushed the German lender into the red. Deutsche Bank reported a net loss of €500m (£438m) for 2017 after taking the charge related to the US changes [...]
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 [...]