DEBATE: Will Donald Trump’s overhaul of the US tax code be beneficial to the American economy? December 21, 2017 Will Trump’s overhaul of the US tax code be beneficial to the American economy? David Hawkins, managing director of Cliveden Family Office and former board member of Republicans Overseas, says YES. The Trump administration’s competitiveness agenda implements the greatest reform to personal, small business and corporate taxation in the US since 1986. Not since Ronald [...]
With or without a Santa Rally, the FTSE 100 looks a sick man compared to its peers December 18, 2017 Over the past 25 years global markets have become accustomed to what is affectionately known as the Santa Rally in the final weeks before Christmas. This year, however, the FTSE 100 appears unlikely to have its spirits lifted by Christmas joy. In 18 of the past 25 years, the FTSE 100 index has rallied by [...]
Doubts about ‘value investing’ have returned to their pre-dotcom crash high December 18, 2017 Is legendary investor Warren Buffett losing his golden touch? On our Value Perspective investment blog, we would never dream of suggesting such a thing but type “Buffett losing touch” into Google and you will find plenty of financial commentators have, from time to time, had no such qualms. What is really interesting, however, is not [...]
Russian navy could cut cables between US and NATO nations including the UK December 15, 2017 Russian submarines could cut off communications cables between the US and the UK, a defence chief has warned. Sir Stuart Peach, chief of the British defence staff, said that Russian ships have been spotted close to Atlantic cables which are essential for international commerce and the internet. A report by think tank Policy Exchange estimated [...]
The final countdown: MiFID II is coming, ready or not December 14, 2017 With just three weeks to go before the implementation of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (MiFID II), how close is the industry to being ready for the biggest change in financial markets infrastructure for decades? This article will look at the industry’s state of readiness and influencing factors, as well as what will [...]
Facebook says no more than 200 UK viewers saw Russia’s Brexit ads December 13, 2017 Facebook has found just three adverts posted by Russian accounts in its attempt to investigate potential meddling by the country in last year’s Brexit vote. The Electoral Commission had asked the social media giant to look into any interference with the referendum last year. In a letter to the commission, Facebook said the trio of [...]
Four investment myths on the rise December 7, 2017 The world of investing constantly changes and that means yesterday’s wisdom can soon become today’s myths. Or in some cases, the story moves along and some investors haven’t quite kept up. Your own biases and assumption can pose a danger to wealth generation (you can test this at Schroders Income IQ). So here we [...]
Merger and acquisition values shot to £86bn last quarter in “sizeable” rise December 5, 2017 The value of successful domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A) showed a “sizeable” increase in the third quarter of 2017, according to official figures. There were a total of 163 acquisitions and disposals involving UK companies worth £86.4bn in the quarter from July to September, compared with 241 transactions worth £33.2bn in the quarter [...]
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chops 680 jobs in the run-up to Christmas as 259 RBS and Natwest branches are marked for closure December 1, 2017 Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has entered December with an unwelcome gift for its employees, announcing 680 jobs will be cut as it marks 259 branches for closure. Blaming the rise of online banking, RBS said it would get rid of 62 Royal Bank of Scotland branches and 197 Natwest branches. Read more: Royal Bank [...]
City firms on hiring spree as salaries look set to keep rising December 1, 2017 City firms are set to embark on a hiring spree next year as the need to deal with new rules and technology trumps the ongoing political uncertainty over the Brexit process. More than two-thirds of financial services firms plan to recruit staff over the next 12 months, with the majority planning to bring permanent staff [...]