Investment trust winners of 2017 January 11, 2018 Investment trusts enjoyed healthy investment returns last year, with funds focused on Japan delivering some of the best returns in 2017, according to data for trust sectors. Investment trusts are an alternative to more commonly held open-ended funds or unit trusts, offering some advantages. This is explained here: investment trusts vs open-ended funds. Here we [...]
Steady as she goes: Top tips for cautious investors in 2018 January 9, 2018 In the first few days of 2018, markets have surged to all-time highs. Some gutsy investors are throwing caution to the wind by muscling in on these gains, despite warnings that we could see the end of the bull run in the not-so-distant future. You’ve also got investment veterans, such as Brewin Dolphin’s Guy Foster, [...]
Consumer credit growth slows in November as mortgage borrowing declines January 4, 2018 Growth in the amount borrowed by consumers in the form of credit cards and loans fell in November to its lowest since December 2015, as the amount borrowed by home buyers also declined. Figures by the Bank of England showed growth in consumer credit slowed to 9.1 per cent in the year to November, from [...]
London house prices dropped in 2017: This is how the experts reacted January 4, 2018 London house prices fell last year for the first time since the financial crisis, and the capital was the worst performing UK region for property price growth for the first time in 13 years. House prices in the capital dropped by 0.5 per cent in 2017, according to the most recent Nationwide house price index, [...]
Are markets too complacent about the US economy? January 3, 2018 The status of the US as the world’s most dynamic and important single country economy remains intact, not least among investors. Its strengths are now very much reflected in financial market valuations. This is evident in stocks, with the US having been at the vanguard of a multi-year bull run, while bond yields have reached [...]
UK house prices: 10 Locations where property values have risen most in 2017 December 28, 2017 A seaside town in Somerset is the biggest winner from rising property prices this year, growing more than 10 per cent since January, new research reveals. Homes in Cleveland grew in value by 11.6 per cent, more than any other place in Britain and ahead of the 3.5 per cent average growth across the country [...]
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg help boost world’s wealthiest by $1 trillion, Bloomberg billionaires index finds December 27, 2017 The world’s wealthiest people added a collective $1 trillion to their riches in 2017, with Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos making the greatest gains off the back of a standout year for the technology and retail giant. And the rich are getting richer, gaining four times more than they did in 2016, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires [...]
Forget gold, invest in watches December 21, 2017 Buying for the purpose of investment takes a lot of consideration and expertise in your chosen area. Items with a technological expiration date do not often make good investments; televisions, phones and cars – unless it’s a rare vintage vehicle that will be kept in a garage and never used. This is why the extortionate [...]
Capitalism needs a makeover – and employee ownership can help December 20, 2017 As the leader of the Liberal Democrats, one of my aims is to address the falling social mobility and high levels of inequality that are fuelling public discontent and frustration in twenty-first century Britain. But this doesn’t simply mean taxing the incomes of high earners, as Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party would have it. High-earners are [...]
UK tops Forbes’ list as the best country for business in 2018 December 19, 2017 Britain has been crowned the best country in the world for business in 2018 for the first time ever, even in the face of uncertainties around Brexit, according to Forbes’ annual ranking. The UK took the top spot out of 153 nations and jumped up from fifth place last year, scoring particularly well on technological [...]