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September 2018

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The first six months of 2018 were unpredictable times for investors as global stock markets suffered a sudden bout of volatility. The unpredictability came as a major surprise after the general stability of 2017.  Once the dust had settled there was a mixture of good and...

03 September, 2018 /

The long-term outlook for government finances suggests tax increases are inevitable. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces medium-term financial forecasts alongside the Budget and Spring Statement, but that is not its only task. It is also required to take a longer-term view of the public...

28 August, 2018 /

Draft legislation released in July contains more bad news for those renting out residential property. The Finance Bill 2018/19 draft legislation published just before the summer holidays has confirmed the following measures: From 6 April 2019, the rules for rent-a-room relief (which exempts up to £7,500...

20 August, 2018 /

The Lifetime ISA (LISA) may not survive after low uptake by providers and fresh criticisms from parliament. The LISA has been reviewed by the Treasury Select Committee, which was critical of, “its complexity, its perverse incentives, its lack of complementarity with the pension saving landscape...

13 August, 2018 /

The prospect of a flat rate of tax relief on pension contributions has resurfaced in the national press. The cost of pension relief has been chipped back in recent years, mainly by reducing the annual allowance. However, a report in The Times in early July...

06 August, 2018 /

Important interest rate announcements were made in June, both in the UK and the US. The US Federal Reserve announced its seventh 0.25% increase in interest rates since December 2015, taking the level to 1.75%-2.00%. The rise had already been incorporated in market prices by...

23 July, 2018 /

The latest quarterly review of the FTSE 100 revealed common misunderstandings about how the index is drawn up. Every quarter FTSE Russell, which operates all the FTSE indices, decides which companies are promoted or demoted from the FTSE 100 index. There had been speculation that the...

16 July, 2018 /

National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has introduced limits on its offerings for wealthier savers.  In mid-June NS&I announced a revision to the terms of its popular Guaranteed Growth and Guaranteed Income Bonds. The interest rates were left unchanged, but the maximum investment per person, per...

11 July, 2018 /

Important changes affecting Chinese market indices took effect in June 2018, which could affect emerging market funds. On 1 June 2018, the index provider MSCI added 233 domestic Chinese stocks to its emerging market and global indices. MSCI has some of the most widely used indices...

02 July, 2018 /

Transfers out of private sector final salaries boomed in 2017. There was a dramatic increase in the value of number of transfers out of defined benefit (usually final salary) pension schemes in 2017. A recent Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)...

25 June, 2018 /