Asset managers call on index providers to drop controversial weapons firms February 11, 2019 More than 140 asset and wealth management firms have signed an open letter calling on global index providers to remove controversial weapons companies from mainstream benchmarks. Companies including Man Group, Credit Suisse and Pictet Asset Management are among those to sign up to the initiative calling for a boycott of manufacturers of weapons such as [...]
Busting the millennial myth February 11, 2019 | City Talk Last month I was invited to present at a conference in Berlin; I spent a couple of days preparing and got up at 4am to fly over. The speaker before me confidently told the audience that millennials lacked their elders’ work ethic so would drag down productivity and GDP growth. As I took to the [...]
10 shares to generate £10,000 income in 2019 February 11, 2019 | City Talk Four years ago, we asked how much an individual would need to invest in order to generate an annual income of £10,000 from corporate dividend payments. Rising yields have allowed us to reduce the amount each year and still meet the income objective, but 2018 proved a stiffer test and requires some explaining. First, big [...]
International Investing – the whys and wherefores February 11, 2019 | City Talk In 1926, engineer, inventor and philosopher Nicolas Tesla, said “”When wireless is perfectly applied the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain. We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance… and the instruments through which we shall be able to do his will be amazingly simple compared with [...]
Beware the hunter gatherer inside of you February 11, 2019 | City Talk There is a risk that we behave like Stone Age hunters rather than investors. Moira O’Neill explains how to avoid this common problem and achieve better results. To be a successful investor, you must buy low and sell high. Unfortunately, most people allow their emotions to get the better of them and instead, they buy [...]
How to make your pension last a lifetime February 11, 2019 | City Talk New pension freedoms bring flexibility, but not necessarily peace of mind. Moira O’Neill discusses some amendments to this outdated retirement rule. It’s terrifying to think of running out of money in your later years but it would be devastating to go through retirement scrimping and saving when you could have had a better life. And [...]
DEBATE: As London Blockchain Week kicks off, will people ever feel safe buying their groceries in bitcoin? February 11, 2019 As London Blockchain Week kicks off, will people ever feel safe buying their groceries in bitcoin? Dr James Smith, co-founder and chief executive of Elliptic, a cryptocurrency intelligence agency, says YES. Cryptocurrencies are in still their early stages, used more as an investment and tradeable asset than as a form of money, and a lot [...]
Former minister criticises Amber Rudd’s plan to jail bosses who mismanage pension schemes February 10, 2019 A former pensions minister has criticised Amber Rudd’s plan to toughen up laws governing those in charge of employee pensions in the wake of recent mismanagement scandals at BHS and Carillion. Company bosses could be locked up for as long as seven years if they don’t manage employee pension schemes properly, according to Work and [...]
What does the year of the pig hold for stocks? History has some clues February 8, 2019 | City Talk Chinese stock markets are currently on holiday, with traders and consumers off celebrating the arrival of the Year of the Pig. But maybe equity markets across the world have something to celebrate, given the past performance of stocks during previous porcine-themed years. Statistically speaking, the Year of the Pig is a good one for stocks. [...]
Three themes for 2019 – and some black swans February 8, 2019 | City Talk 2018 was a challenging year for investors with US equity and government bond markets both returning less than cash. Two factors were instrumental in delivering this outcome: disappointment with global growth and less cash flowing through the global economy (tighter liquidity). These factors will continue to influence markets in the year ahead. We have identified [...]