DIY investing: Five crucial tips to remember when going it alone November 25, 2014 Think carefully about your risk profile and platform choice REFORMS to the way financial advice is charged for in the UK have led to a sharp uptick in the number of investors shunning advisers in favour of self-managed portfolios bought through a platform. The Retail Distribution Review (RDR), introduced at the end of 2012, stopped [...]
Ukip? SNP? WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell warns Conservatives could find any new coalition partner “more difficult” November 19, 2014 WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell has warned of “clouds on the horizon” for the Conservatives, even if they win the 2015 election, noting that a coalition with untested parties such as Ukip and the SNP is likely. Sorrell – who gave the keynote speech at the City A.M. Awards last week – tipped the [...]
Staying on track: The secrets to rebalancing your portfolio November 18, 2014 No financial adviser can stress enough that it is unwise to expect your portfolio, however carefully put together, to fulfil your investment goals automatically over the long term. Periodically reviewing the assets you hold is vital if you don’t want to fall victim to portfolio drift. “Rebalancing instills good investment habits, trimming the holdings that [...]
London average house prices top £600,000 for the first time November 16, 2014 The average price of a residential London property has risen above £600,000 for the first time but signs of cooling are evident. The break through the £600,000 barrier in house prices in November marks just a 0.8 per cent increase on October’s figure, according to data released today by online property market platform Rightmove. Rightmove’s [...]
HMRC, FCA and PRA tell George Osborne they’ll work more closely together to share information at regular meetings after Banking Standards Review November 14, 2014 Financial regulators and HMRC have outlined plans to work more closely together in the wake of the government investigation into banking standards. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) will hold regular meetings with HMRC to better share information and expertise on “taxation, regulatory, prudential and consumer implications” that result from policy [...]
UK Vs Ireland: Where’s the best place to do business? Here’s how they compare on ten factors October 30, 2014 When it comes to doing business, which country is more favourable? Singapore has, once again, been named the best place to do business according to the World Bank’s annual rankings. It’s the ninth year in a row the Asian city has topped the league, but closer to home, the UK and Ireland have both become [...]
Chancellor struggling to rein in state borrowing October 21, 2014 THE GOVERNMENT borrowed £11.8bn in September – £1.6bn more than the same month last year. Chancellor George Osborne might have been hoping to offer one or two pre-election sweeteners in December’s Autumn Statement, but yesterday’s figures acted as a reminder of the limited fiscal leeway that he has at his disposal So far, this fiscal [...]
Our obsession with inequality is dangerous – the emerging world knows better October 20, 2014 Forget political polls and voting intentions. The most important survey of recent months came from Pew Research on the attitudes of populations worldwide to capitalism and inequality. As many Western economies labour under the strain of slow growth, an intellectual narrative has taken hold, arguing that free market capitalism causes unacceptable levels of inequality. But [...]
Bill Gates: Thomas Piketty “does not give a full picture of how wealth is created” October 15, 2014 One of the world's richest men has given his analysis on the best-selling treatise on equality, Capital in the 21st Century, written by French economist Thomas Piketty. Billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates said in a blog post that he agreed with several points highlighted in the controversial book. Among these were that high levels of inequality [...]
Afren share price rises after firing CEO Osman Shahenshah and COO Shahid Ullah October 14, 2014 Afren's share price climbed by over 3.5 per cent yesterday after the oil company announced that its chief executive and chief operating officer (COO) had been sacked for gross misconduct following an independent review. The company had suffered a 30 per cent share slump when it suspended CEO Osman Shahenshah and COO Shahid Ullah [...]