Clothing sales at M&S set to come up short April 7, 2014 MARKS & SPENCER chief executive Marc Bolland is expected to come under renewed pressure this week when the retailer posts yet another fall in underlying sales for its key clothing arm. The high street retailer is expected to report a decline of around one per cent in like-for-like general merchandise sales – which included clothing [...]
The lessons that big business must learn from the EU debates April 2, 2014 WHAT a disaster for Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. They were slaughtered by Nigel Farage in yesterday’s TV debate on the EU and other matters, with a YouGov poll showing that the public thought the Ukip leader won it by 68 per cent to 27 per cent. Whether or not one agrees with them, [...]
Last-minute themes to boost your Isa portfolio April 1, 2014 THE ISA deadline is just days away, and the chancellor’s recent decision to enhance the tax wrapper’s flexibility (as well as increasing the annual allowance to £15,000 from 1 July) has heightened its attractiveness as a vehicle for long-term capital growth. We ask the experts for some last minute ideas – and funds – to [...]
Avoid these costly end of tax year mistakes April 1, 2014 THE LAST-MINUTE Isa frenzy is underway. But as you scramble to fill up the £11,520 allowance before 5 April, be wary of some of the most common mistakes made by hasty investors. Buying funds and stocks in a hurry is dangerous, says Jason Witcombe of Evolve Financial Planners. And as most stocks and shares Isas [...]
Q & A March 28, 2014 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q I have a house that I’m renting out and I’m worried about changing capital gains tax rules. Should I stay or sell? A From next year, capital gains tax relief will be limited to 18 months of capital growth, as opposed to 36 months previously. This means that you’ll [...]
How the Budget has made Isas even nicer March 25, 2014 The tax wrapper has even greater potential for capital growth, but pension tax relief will still prove decisive Much of the reaction to George Osborne’s “Budget for savers” has focused on the freeing-up of pensions. And while a loosening of drawdown restrictions will no doubt be a boon for retirees, radical Isa reforms have important [...]
Asian markets flat after US manufacturing slowdown March 25, 2014 Asian markets are holding steady as investors wait to see how events in Ukraine unfold and whether the slowdown in US manufacturing continues. Markets will be watching not only the West's response to the annexation of Crimea but whether Russia will slip into recession. Japan's Shoko Chukin survey revealed that a last minute spending rush [...]
Budget 2014 showed promise: But it lacked beef for entrepreneurs to really get their teeth into March 23, 2014 YOU CAN’T please all of the people all of the time, particularly if you’re the chancellor of the Exchequer. Even if George Osborne had promised last Wednesday to personally traipse the length and breadth of the country handing out free candyfloss, an obesity pressure group of some sort would have released a statement condemning him. [...]
Labour would be mad to oppose Osborne’s pensions liberation March 20, 2014 SUPPORTERS of the nanny state were out in force yesterday, attacking George Osborne’s revolutionary liberalisation of the pensions market. Starting next year, the chancellor will no longer force savers to hand over pension pots to insurers in return for a miserable income for life, a so-called annuity. Instead, savers will be able to use the [...]
Budget at a glance: Osborne’s plans for Britain’s economy March 19, 2014 As growth bounces back, the focus turns to reforming savings THE ECONOMY UK growth for this year is now expected to be 2.7 per cent, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said yesterday – up from its previous estimate, made in December, of 2.4 per cent GDP expansion. A year ago the OBR expected growth [...]