Know what to expect from major asset classes in 2013 December 16, 2012 UNCERTAINTY has been characteristic of investing in 2012. As headwinds continue to shake global investment markets, this will likely continue into 2013. But knowing what to broadly expect will help you to align your portfolio and identify opportunities so that, this time next year, you will have achieved decent investment returns. HEADWINDS The Eurozone crisis, [...]
Menus get the Christmas treatment December 11, 2012 WITH DECEMBER well and truly under way, it’s officially that time of year where your favourite eateries trade in their usual menus for something more festive. This season bars, restaurants and pubs are pulling out all the stops as far as their dishes are concerned so whether you’re after something traditional or want a modern, [...]
Politicians need to stop moralising – and reform our taxes December 3, 2012 LIKE many people, I loathe the UK tax system. It fails to treat everyone equally and is either extraordinarily punitive or pathetically soft. Scandalously, some big companies pay huge amounts of corporation tax while other similar businesses don’t. The aim must be revolutionary tax reform – all streams of income from labour and capital generated [...]
Finding handy tools for your DIY portfolio December 2, 2012 THE retail distribution review (RDR), which comes into effect in Jaunary 2013, will change the way that you receive investment advice. Some studies suggest that good advice can help investors, but a recent survey by BlackRock found that 65 per cent of people will still shun advisers – who will begin to explicitly charge fees [...]
Dixons says it will gain from Comet collapse November 29, 2012 THE BOSS of Dixons Retail said he expected to grab a bigger slice of the market following rival Comet’s demise, as it returned to profit in the UK for the first time in five years. Sebastian James said Currys and PC World had not seen “much disruption” from the fire sale of Comet’s stock, as [...]
Dixons losses narrow November 29, 2012 Electrical retailer Dixons today announced that it has slightly reduced its pre-tax losses for the first six months of the year. The firm said it lost £22.2m for the 24 weeks to October 13, down from £25.3m for the same period last year. But the UK business, which largely operates under the Currys and PC [...]
Great Scot! It’s Aberdeen Asset’s Caledonian awards November 28, 2012 TO Ranald MacDonald’s Boisdale restaurant for the Aberdeen Asset Management Great Scot Awards 2012. Bagpipes were blaring to welcome tartan–clad guests to the patriotic dinner, held in association with City A.M. and Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Winners included Lord Steel of Aikwood, fashion designer Pam Hogg, actor Jamie Sives and Olympic gold medallist Tim Baillie [...]
Prepare for a brave new world of more investment choices November 25, 2012 NEW rules from the Financial Services Authority – the retail distribution review (RDR), which comes into effect on 1 January – intend to empower consumers by making investing more transparent. The idea is to help retail investing work more effectively. But investors will also face greater choice in how they buy their investments, and this [...]
Mutton doesn’t have to dress like lamb: it’s just fine as it is November 5, 2012 Head chef, Paternoster Chop House I don’t know why but people have started asking me about mutton. Maybe it’s because I run a British restaurant and I have big mutton chop sideburns – but whatever: it’s got me thinking. Why don’t we eat more mutton in this country, and could there be a demand for [...]
Supermarkets to sell Skype credit November 4, 2012 While retailers are rushing to expand their online presence, Skype, the internet phone service, announced today it is making a move onto the UK high street in a tie-up with five supermarkets to sell credit in stores. The US firm, which has 254m connected users per month, said it is to sell £10 or £20 [...]