Youngsters are worse off than their parents: The sorry lot of today’s youth is worrying and urgent Intergenerational equity does not make for the punchiest headline is one of the most pressing economic and social issues facing the UK today. The concept of fairness between generations was previously confined to academia and environmental circles, where the idea that man’s actions will mean passing on a damaged ecosystem for future people has been [...]
Act now to avoid the Tories’ pension tax grab The chancellor has announced an “emergency” Budget for 8 July. On the basis of the new government’s Queen’s Speech, which saw little by way of surprises, the expectation is that there will be nothing much in the Budget to concern investors. Public spending cuts will continue, the government has already committed not to increase the [...]
Government privatisations: Some key facts and figures In late May, George Osborne said that he’d like to privatise £23bn of government assets, and he raised the stakes last week by announcing the phased sale of the state’s stake in RBS. Here are some key facts and figures: ROYAL MAIL The government floated 60 per cent of the company in 2013 at [...]
World view: The figures that matter most this month June 18, 2015 From collapsing currencies to diverging growth rates, asset bubbles to infrastructure splurges, we highlight the figures that matter this month.
The future is bright: Buy solar panels now to lock in 20 years of savings June 18, 2015 Energy costs have been rising – but you could cut your bills with solar panels. A government scheme aimed at increasing take-up of alternative energy means you will be paid for the amount your solar panels generate – both for the quantity you use yourself and the amount sent to the grid. The Feed-in [...]
China’s equity markets have rocketed: Bubble waiting to burst or the market unleashing its true potential? June 18, 2015 China's equity markets have rocketed – is this a bubble waiting to burst or the market unleashing its true potential? China is a world of contradiction for investors. With its billion-strong population and the second-largest economy in the world, it should have been a marvellous place for investment. Not so. The giant economy [...]
Sinking supermarkets: Tesco has had a disastrous year. Can it recover? June 18, 2015 The UK’s supermarkets were once investment darlings. The likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s emerged on the stock markets, radically changed our shopping habits and then rose to dominance on the FTSE 100. But times have changed, and the supermarkets have been down on their luck. Are they still worthwhile investments? “Part of the [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Pretty Sagoo talks science, stress and Solvency II June 18, 2015 The whole pension thing was completely by accident,” says Pretty Sagoo, explaining how she ended up in banking, working with insurance and pension fund clients. In the language of the industry, her career has revolved around structuring and pricing deals, de-risking, swaps, hedges and the like. But Pretty doesn’t do jargon. “It just winds [...]
Breaking new ground: Why the investment trust is offering unique – and growing – opportunities June 18, 2015 Investment trusts have been around since the 1860s, but a perception of obscurity and limited choice has meant that they have not been as well-regarded as their open-ended counterparts. In recent years, however, their popularity has been on the up. Indeed, in 2014, investment trust assets hit a record high of £122bn, with purchases by [...]
Riding the rollercoaster: Investing in emerging markets June 18, 2015 It’s been a risky few years but some have still made money. Top fund manager Edward Lam of Somerset Capital Management tells Annabelle Williams the tricks of the trade. From one crisis to the next, emerging markets have been a rollercoaster ride for investors over the last five years. Countries as diverse as Indonesia, [...]