Rio Tinto bucks energy blues in $2bn buyback February 12, 2015 INVESTORS celebrated yesterday as Rio Tinto disregarded the ongoing commodities rout to announce a $2bn (£1.3bn) share buy-back and increased its dividend by 12 per cent, representing a total cash return to shareholders, in respect of 2014, of almost $6bn. Shares in the company closed up 2.3 per cent on what analysts described as a [...]
ACA, ACCA or CIMA: How to choose and which is better? February 12, 2015 Each qualification has its own merit for those seeking a career in accounting but there are key differences. Each accountancy qualification on the market has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of course structure and career focus. Arguably, the most prestigious qualifications are offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute [...]
General election stalemate set to rock stocks: Markets face historic uncertainty, UBS warns February 11, 2015 Uncertainty before and after 7 May threatens to make 2015 a turbulent year for markets. Markets will take a hit from historic levels of uncertainty before and after May’s General Election, analysis by a leading investment bank has warned. Share indices typically fall by an average of three per cent in the six months after [...]
The free trade deals that could turbo-charge the UK economy by £10bn February 11, 2015 Few know it, but you are all paying a secret tax. Trade tariffs and other protectionist barriers are a hidden part of the price you pay for almost everything you buy. Consider this: if we could do a trade deal between America and the EU, at one stroke we could create up to 2m jobs, [...]
PMQs descends into mud-slinging match as Cameron and Miliband attempt to distance themselves from HSBC tax taint February 11, 2015 HSBC dominated Prime Minister's Questions today as David Cameron and Ed Miliband traded insults over which party had closest ties to those clients on the list of alleged tax evaders. The two took turns to sling mud at each other over the matter, with the Labour leader describing his counterpart as a "dodgy Prime [...]
Entrepreneurs’ relief: Unnecessary fiddling with this vital policy will damage growth February 1, 2015 Given that they drive our economy’s growth, it’s vital that entrepreneurs are rewarded for their efforts – especially since they take on so many risks to succeed. Thankfully, since 2008, there has been a tax relief that does precisely this. Entrepreneurs’ relief enables business owners to pay a lower rate of capital gains tax when [...]
State of the Union hints at Obama’s lame duck term January 22, 2015 There has been a growing trend in the State of the Union address the President gives each year. He stands before Congress and begins to alternate between populist appeals, personalised stories, and non-starter policy proposals. This year was no different, although there is a possibility that a couple minor changes may be made. Little of [...]
State of the Union: Barack Obama’s populist tax hikes will hit US investment January 21, 2015 In his State of the Union Address, President Obama proposed raising the top tax rate on capital gains and dividends to 28 per cent from the current rate of 24 per cent. This is up from 15 per cent when Obama took office. Part of the increase came from a 3.8 per cent tax on [...]
Barack Obama’s State of the Union address: “The shadow of crisis has passed” January 21, 2015 It was a triumphant moment for Barack Obama last night, when he stood up to tell his country "the shadow of crisis has passed". His closely-watched State of the Union address followed months of strong growth in the US economy – in stark contrast to its neighbours across the Atlantic. In a speech firmly designed [...]
Building a nest egg: The best ways to invest for your child January 20, 2015 Don’t be afraid to take risks on your children’s behalf. With the Institute for Fiscal Studies forecasting that, in 18 years’ time, fewer than half of us will be able to own a home, saving for your children may well feel more important than ever. Calculations from Nutmeg show that, in order to amass a [...]