Five of the best: Ethical banks to stash your savings June 22, 2016 Banks have been mired in scandal over the last decade. The 2008 financial crisis has been followed by countless investigations and fines. Big banks have variously been caught out for mis-selling products, violating sanctions and manipulating prices of gold, silver, currencies, and libor interest rates. Not surprisingly, headlines have been filled with ire over banks’ unseemly [...]
UK’s pension black hole grows by £120bn in the space of six weeks, as equities fluctuate ahead of EU referendum June 21, 2016 The combined black hole in the UK's pension schemes expanded by more than £100bn in the space of just six weeks, research out today has found. The analysis by Hymans Robertson revealed that the total deficit of the UK's defined benefit (DB) pension schemes rocketed by £120bn, or roughly the equivalent of five per cent of GDP, over [...]
Eleven million people would boost their retirement savings if only they knew more about this particular pensions rule change June 21, 2016 As many as 11.4m people could be encouraged to boost their pensions savings if they had more information about a rule change that came in last year, research out today has found. The study by Aegon found that a third (33 per cent) of the 4,000 people surveyed were clueless about the pension freedoms, which came into [...]
Cash is still king: Why hard cash continues to be a vital asset class for investors June 21, 2016 To many, cash represents an opportunity cost, an opportunity lost. These investors believe cash is a temporary holding medium between risk-assets, held unwillingly, often for a lack of better ideas. That is a limiting, myopic view. Cash is a core asset class, not a blank canvas from which to create an investment. Sometimes – even [...]
Now the PPF is warning proposed changes to British Steel Pension Scheme could set a precedent June 21, 2016 Proposed changes to the British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) could set a precedent for other troubled industries, the UK's pensions lifeboat has cautioned today. Responding to an ongoing consultation into the BSPS, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) has warned that one of the options on the table – which would involve using legislation to slash [...]
EU referendum: Confidence among private investors holds up ahead of vote June 21, 2016 Confidence among private investors edged up this month, despite widespread talk of unprecedented market volatility in the run-up to the EU referendum. A poll of more than 1,000 UK investors for the Lloyds Bank investor sentiment index showed the outlook towards most types of assets had improved slightly over the last few weeks, but is still considerably [...]
How to trade EU referendum night June 21, 2016 Sterling volatility has rocketed over the past few weeks, as markets have digested the ups and downs of the opinion polls in advance of the EU referendum. But if you think the sealing of the ballot boxes at 10pm on Thursday night will be the end of it (until UK stock markets re-open on Friday [...]
What will happen to UK equities if we leave the European Union? June 21, 2016 The pound and the FTSE soared yesterday, as the Remain camp wrestled back its lead in the polls. But the outcome of Thursday’s EU referendum is far from clear, with pundits saying that voter turnout will be pivotal in determining whether the UK stays or leaves. If Article 50 is triggered and sterling dives, what should [...]
Why Brexit could be the shock that saves the euro June 21, 2016 Threatened by the possibility of a British exit from the European Union, politicians across the continent have rightfully defended the fragile politico-economic bloc from a vote that could open the door for more countries to leave. But could such an upset potentially yield a brighter future for Europe and, more specifically, the countries that share [...]
Brexit causes gold rush – experts predict prices will hit $1,400 by month end if the UK votes to leave the EU June 21, 2016 The risk of Brexit has pushed up the price of gold, with every tightening of the bookmakers’ odds giving a boost to the value of the precious metal. The price of bullion is up 21 per cent so far this year, 8 per cent of which has come in the last month. Gold prices reached a [...]