Junior Isas to match adult savings funds April 6, 2011 IN LAST month’s budget, the chancellor announced the arrival of the Junior Isa scheme, which will become available in November of this year. The Junior Isa is a replacement for the Child Trust Fund (CTF), but will do away with the government contribution of the previous scheme (see the table below). The Junior Isa will [...]
Taking a punt on FTSE 250 companies April 3, 2011 THERE are tax, leverage and other advantages to using spread betting to get exposure to equities. For some investors, of course, these benefits may not offset the time and skill needed to negotiate the spread betting markets. However, some markets are easier than others to manage, with the FTSE 250 the best place to start. [...]
Investing in fledglings is now more appealing March 30, 2011 THE Budget increased the tax breaks available for the enterprise investment scheme (EIS) and sorted out some of the legislation involved in venture capital trusts (VCT). This is making both look appealing to investors, especially those desperate to escape the burden of the 50p tax rate. Here’s your guide to what they are and how [...]
Lloyd’s profits hit by catastrophe claims March 30, 2011 London’s insurance market Lloyd’s of London has posted a £2.2bn pre-tax profit for 2010 despite a year of heavy catastrophe losses for the industry. Lloyd’s, which operates in 175 countries, wrote £22.6bn of gross premiums last year, up 2.9 per cent from £22bn in 2009, but pre-tax profit fell 43 per cent from the £3.9bn [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 28, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES HOLLYWOOD MAKEOVER FOR YOUTUBE Google is deepening its ties with Hollywood by enlisting top stars to supply original content for YouTube in a bid to boost profits and user engagement at the company’s online video site. Google has been making the rounds of Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, outlining plans to create a network [...]
BHP Billiton unveils $9.5bn expansion plan March 24, 2011 BHP Billiton yesterday revealed details of its $9.5bn (£5.89bn) investment plans for its iron ore and coal operations. The FTSE 100 miner announced a bigger-than-expected $80bn capital expenditure plan last month, which the firm said would pay for organic growth over the next five years rather than blockbuster acquisitions. BHP said yesterday its Western Australia [...]
Going private in the Maldives, at long last March 24, 2011 For years, the Indian Ocean’s most exquisite islands, the Maldives, have been solely the preserve of hotels. Now, they’ve begun to open up to foreign buyers, thanks to new laws introduced by the pro-enterprise President Mohamed Nasheed. Before Nasheed, elected two years ago, leaseholds were too short to attract European buyers – but they have [...]
At a glance: All the crucial points from Osborne’s Budget for Growth March 23, 2011 THE ECONOMY/PUBLIC FINANCES The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has revised its growth forecast for the economy, blaming higher-than-expected inflation as a result of recent global commodity price shocks and the weather-affected final quarter of 2010. GDP growth has been revised down to 1.7 per cent in 2011. Growth is expected to peak at 2.9 [...]
A useful but schizophrenic package March 23, 2011 SOME of the early reaction yesterday was that this was a slightly boring, forgettable Budget. Nonsense. It was far-ranging: radical in parts, brilliant at times, occasionally awful, way too political and often quite surprising. It wasn’t quite the Budget for growth that George Osborne should have delivered: populism all too often got the better of [...]
WHAT DOES THE CHANCELLOR’S BUDGET MEAN FOR YOU? March 23, 2011 CATHERINE GANNON, 48 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CITY LAW FIRM GANNONS LAW LLP Catherine is single with two children, earns a gross income of over £100,000 a year and pays a mortgage on her family home. She has a share portfolio and also has mortgages on various investment properties. She does not drink or smoke. She [...]