New tax rules and rates after changes made in the 2025 Autumn Budget are set to take effect from the new tax year (2026/27) From April 2026, dividend tax rates for basic and higher-rate taxpayers will increase by two percentage points, rising to 10.75% and 35.75% respectively. The additional rate will remain unchanged at 39.35%. At the same […]
February Economic Background: Artificial intelligence disruption fuels volatility in technology stocks Cooling inflation strengthens expectations of global interest rate cuts Shifting global trade and currency dynamics add to policy uncertainty Click here to read more
Introduction President Trump has once again hijacked the headlines with a strike on Iran at the very end of the month. The implications are yet to be understood. It took some attention away from the UK government’s latest headache, a by-election loss to the Green Party and a mixed bag of economic results. Meanwhile, the FTSE […]
Graduate unhappiness with retrospective changes to the Plan 2 student loans has erupted after the Government made changes to repayment thresholds in the November Student loans come in a range of different plans, from the early Plan 1 loans to Plan 5 loans for those starting education after 1 August 2023 in England. The focus of ire has centred […]
Investing has outperformed cash savings for a third consecutive year according to data from Moneyfacts, despite elevated cash ISA interest rates. The data underpins important considerations about the risk of holding too much cash ahead of the cut to the cash ISA allowance for under-65s – due to be implemented from April 2027. Moneyfacts found the […]
Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered on her promise that the Spring Statement would be a fiscal non-event. It contained no policy changes and very little in the way of good news. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgraded the growth forecast for 2026 to 1.1%, down from 1.4% forecast in November 2025. The growth projections now […]
The ebi Investment Team have produced a market update covering the recent escalation in the Middle East and the potential implications for global markets. As you may have seen in the news, tensions in the region have intensified in recent days, contributing to increased market volatility and renewed uncertainty for investors. In particular, concerns around […]
January Economic Background: Elevated geopolitical uncertainty fuels investor flight to safety President Trump announces a nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, calming markets Japanese bong yields jump amid concerns over government spending Click here to read more
Introduction President Trump started 2026 with a bang. Financial markets were once again responding to unexpected Trump administration policy decisions, and a number of big US tech stocks announced their results in January. There is a feverish interest in whether the ‘AI bubble’ really exists and a lot of scrutiny on financial results as they […]
The Government has reversed plans to impose inheritance tax (IHT) on farms worth in excess of £1 million. The level of the Agricultural and Business Property Relief threshold will now be set at £2.5 million for individuals or up £5 million for married couples when it becomes law in April this year. Above this threshold, 50% relief […]