When Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak delivered his Budget speech in March much of the focus – inevitably – was on the economy’s recovery from the pandemic, and the cost of all the support measures. But Sunak also announced a host of new initiatives including freeports and a new campus for the Treasury. One […]
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This section is regularly updated to bring you news of important developments in financial planning matters.
The effect the pandemic has had on people’s mental health has been well documented. Many people have been juggling work, a home, a family, a relationship, as well as elderly relatives they haven’t been able to see, or daren’t take the risk of seeing. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic has changed attitudes to work and life, with […]
“Amazon made millions but paid no tax.” You can substitute Facebook or Google for Amazon and, these days, you can probably substitute “billions” for “millions” but it remains a story we’ve told countless times. One of the tech giants has reported bumper revenues and/or profits and while doing so paid less tax than a moderately […]
In April it was announced that the UK and Australia had agreed the “vast majority” of a trade deal. Although talks between International Trade Secretary Liz Truss and her Australian counterpart broke up without a deal, both countries were “confident that the remaining issues will be resolved.” The final deal is expected to be completed […]
Those of you who follow the news may remember a story from early May. The Colonial Pipeline in the US – which carries 45% of the East Coast’s supply of diesel, petrol and jet fuel – was put out of action by a ransomware attack. The hackers, an organisation called DarkSide, cheerfully acknowledged the attack […]
Overall Market Backdrop, June While there were periods of volatility within the equity markets in June, the majority of regions showed strong returns with the S&P 500 leading the way. In response to many investors being fearful of inflation overshoots, the Federal Open Market Committee delivered a hawkish surprise with the forecast suggesting two rate […]
You have likely heard the terms ‘bull market’ and ‘bear market.’ A bull market is one where stock markets are rising and investors are feeling confident: a bear market is the opposite. ‘Bullish’ has even come to be used in a wider sense, meaning generally optimistic: ”I’m feeling bullish about our chances of beating United […]
In some ways, May was a relatively quiet month. Although, it did bring us the marriage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the first PM to marry in office since Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, in 1822. Having eaten a slice of wedding cake and gone straight back to the office, Boris Johnson will be […]
For many years it has been the accepted wisdom that you should diversify your investment portfolio. That means diversifying by types of investments – with say, your exposure to the stock market balanced by more cautious investments in bonds and, perhaps, funds that invest in property. Common wisdom says you should also diversify geographically – […]
In the middle of May pubs and restaurants reopened after lockdown. Finally, we could have a drink or a meal inside. But what was noticeable was the number of pubs and restaurants that didn’t reopen. Speaking on the BBC News, the owner of one establishment gave a very simple explanation: “we cannot get the staff.” […]