City workers slam class war Budget March 24, 2010 THE City was left unconvinced by yesterday’s Budget, slamming Darling for failing to provide a clear outline on how the government was planning to reduce its huge deficit. Banks were being sent a contradictory message, critics said, pointing out that Darling has asked nationalised banks such as Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland to [...]
Reits win out in battle to offer investors dividends in stock March 24, 2010 ALISTAIR Darling yesterday announced that UK real estate investment trusts (Reits) will be allowed pay dividends in stock instead of cash. The proposed legislation comes as a relief to a sector that has struggled to conserve cash during the downturn. It will be introduced as soon as possible in the next Parliament, according to yesterday’s [...]
Insurers urge Darling not to increase taxes in the Budget March 21, 2010 THE Association of British Insurers (ABI) has urged the chancellor to protect savers in the upcoming budget by refraining from increasing taxes. Research by the ABI shows that companies and individuals have been hit hard in recent Budgets by the change to capital gains tax, which impacted on insurance bonds, and also the higher rate [...]
WHAT ARE YOUR PREDICTIONS FOR WEDNESDAY’S BUDGET? March 21, 2010 ROGER BOOTLE | DELOITTE “The chancellor will point to the fragility of the economic recovery in resisting calls from some economists for a faster fiscal consolidation. Any modest proceeds from lower unemployment and the bonus tax windfall are likely to be largely spent rather than saved, hardening the election battle lines.” DAVID BUIK | BGC [...]
Caribbean is back on investors’ hot list March 18, 2010 IF you’re considering a spot in the Caribbean that will be both beautiful and a savvy place for your cash, the island of St Lucia is as good as it gets. Its natural beauty is considered by many to be the most intense in the Caribbean – and it also has a strong local culture [...]
Get to grips with the details of ISAs March 17, 2010 A RECENT survey by Halifax said that 37 per cent of households now have an ISA. But how many of us actually use our full annual allowance or, more to the point, even know what our yearly tax-free entitlement is? And for experienced investors who already put their money to work elsewhere, the paltry returns [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING March 15, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES RBS eyes £10bn debt buy-back as it plans balance sheet shake-up Royal Bank of Scotland is planning a vast balance sheet restructuring in an attempt to boost its capital strength and its standing with bond investors. The move could involve at least £10bn (€11bn) of the bank’s £28bn of debt being bought back [...]
Spring clean your tax affairs for April March 11, 2010 ONE of the drawbacks of starting your own business is that you have to become an expert in everything from day one. This includes the maze that is our tax laws. Come the new financial year, these are only going to become more complicated. So what can entrepreneurs do to put their financial houses in [...]
LISTED PRODUCT NEWS March 10, 2010 DEUTSCHE OFFERS INDONESIA ETF Deutsche Bank’s ETF division db x-trackers has launched the world’s first UCITS III-compliant China and Indonesia ETFs. Listed in Singapore, the China ETF tracks the CSI 300, which replicates the performance of A-shares that are listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen indexes. DB x-trackers is scheduled to launch the Indonesia ETF, [...]
Shore Capital returns to profitability March 9, 2010 BOUTIQUE investment bank Shore Capital Group swung strongly back into the black over 2009, boosted by a revival in trading activity on the markets. Shore’s adjusted pre-tax profit came in at £14.6m for the year to December, compared to a loss of £1.3m in 2008. Revenue almost doubled to £39m. The group said its equity [...]