The big squeeze: Should you consider VCTs as part of your retirement planning? May 24, 2016 A total of £429m of new money was raised by Venture Capital Trust (VCTs) managers in 2014-15 – the fourth highest yearly figure ever. Introduced back in 1995, these listed investment vehicles enable investors to access pooled funds of smaller, higher risk firms in a tax-efficient manner, while providing a crucial lifeline to fast-growing UK [...]
Performance vehicle: Five tips to get the most mileage from your Sipp May 24, 2016 Whether you’re a young saver prepared to take on more risk, or a retiree who doesn’t want to trade their nest egg for an annuity, self-invested personal pensions (Sipps) are tax-efficient vehicles which put you at the controls. Also known as DIY pension schemes, Sipps can be used to invest in any number of assets [...]
Brexit threatens London’s world beating tourism industry: Don’t let the capital become a museum May 24, 2016 Tourism is one of our biggest exports – and London is the most-visited city on earth. But the industry is worried that this world-beating ranking could be at risk if Britain cuts itself off from Europe. In fact, Europe is our biggest tourist market, with more than 60 per cent of visitors to the UK [...]
Cut capital gains tax with EIS investment May 24, 2016 Investors facing a capital gains tax bill have an opportunity to cut it down by investing in the UK’s early stage businesses. Chancellor George Osborne recently cut the rate of capital gains tax to 20 per cent, down from 28 per cent. It’s applicable in the current tax year, but anyone who made a capital gain [...]
Focus on Notting Hill property: Prices may have fallen, but is it all down to stamp duty reform? May 19, 2016 Notting Hill hasn’t been having the best of weeks, if truth be told. On Tuesday, a report from estate agent Stirling Ackroyd revealed that average house prices had fallen in several prime central London locations. In W11, they’ve gone down by 10 per cent from the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of [...]
Enterprise Inns posts revenue growth and announces it will sell 22 commercial property sites in a £20m deal by mid-June May 17, 2016 The UK's largest pub company, Enterprise Inns, has made "good progress" in the first half of 2016 and is primed to sell 22 of its commercial sites in a £20m deal by mid-June. The figures Enterprise Inn's revenues nudged up by £3m in the first half of 2016, from £302m this time last year to [...]
London is still the world’s most luxurious property market while Auckland is the “hottest” city according to Christie’s International Real Estate May 12, 2016 This may come as little surprise, but London has retained its title as the world's most luxurious property market for the fourth year in a row, according to Christie's International Real Estate. The capital topped the list of 100 cities surveyed, beating Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore to the real estate top [...]
Sainsbury’s beats forecasts on results, but profits and sales still slide as Mike Coupe warns of tough road ahead May 4, 2016 Sainsbury's share price fell this morning as full year profits came in ahead of analyst forecasts – but still show a hefty year-on-year decline as the price wars continue to take their toll. The figures The supermarket reported group sales of £25.8bn for the 12 months to 12 March – down 1.1 per cent on the same period last [...]
How Budget capital gains tax changes boosted attractiveness of startups to investors May 4, 2016 Changes to capital gains tax and entrepreneurs’ relief announced in the Budget have made startups and growing businesses more attractive investment prospects, a new survey of business leaders has found. Eight in 10 of the 1,224 Institute of Directors members quizzed in April over the changes said they would draw investment to entrepreneurial companies. Under the [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Clinton vs Trump – whose economic policy is better for markets? April 27, 2016 It is a momentous time in terms of geopolitics. A plethora of major events with potentially significant investment consequences will take place this year. They range from the Brexit hurricane in the UK, to tectonic shifts in the oil economy abroad. Even ostensibly local conflagrations, such as political deadlock in Brazil, may impact wider markets. But [...]