NEWS
In some ways annuities are more attractive than they have been for over 15 years as we are in a period of higher interest rates, but the idea of being able to leave a pension pot behind to protect a loved one or pass to the family still has significant appeal. There are lots of reasons to consider an annuity but the biggest pull of all is the ability to purchase a guaranteed income for life.
At the moment elections and politics are in the mind of the investment community and investors alike. It is natural for all parties to have some concern about the impact of a change in government. In the UK it seems likely that we will see a big shift towards Labour but in Europe the shift is in the opposite direction.
We have been weighing up when interest rates will actually start to come down and wanted to write about this and why it is important. The direction of interest rates has been the main focus of financial commentators and expectations have shifted significantly since the Pandemic.
It’s a new tax year, and there are some changes to take on board. Jeremy Hunt’s 2024 Spring Budget contained some crowd-pleasers with an eye to the General Election later this year. But what’s going to affect you?
Investing is very much worthwhile but this statement is always subject to the usual industry caveats (see footnote) and we need to acknowledge the maxim of risk vs reward, this really is relevant.
Warren Buffett once said; “Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful”. I love this statement. For me it encapsulates how we should behave as investors, not all the time but at important moments in time when markets look fragile and when markets are exuberant – they certainly have appeared fragile of late.
In a world of constant change and uncertainty, strengthening business resilience has become a paramount priority for firms looking for sustainable growth. Business resilience not only equips SMEs to weather adverse events, such as the loss of a key client or supplier, but also empowers them to seize growth opportunities.
Is adding money/capital to a UK pension savings plan still relevant and should you consider it for you personally or even for members of the family?
It doesn’t take much searching to find short term deposit rates paying 5% or more. There have been lots of knock on effects of the lower returns from deposits and borrowers have benefitted from ‘cheap’ money.
You’ve got to be in it to win it. The phrase is never more true than when it comes to investing in the markets. But when they’re volatile or stagnant it can be tough to hold on.
Woosh! Who’s enjoyed watching interest rates on savings rocket? Of course, if you’re a mortgage-payer these are very challenging times.
For most of the past two decades, Capital Gains Tax (CGT) has been a relatively peripheral concern for the majority of investors. The annual exempt amount – the amount of gains you can realise each year free of tax – was generous enough that many clients could rebalance portfolios, fund ISA contributions, and take profits without a CGT liability arising at all. That position has changed significantly.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical oil chokepoint. Roughly one-fifth of global oil supply transits here each day. Commercial traffic has been severely disrupted since late February. Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz – the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil transits during peacetime. As long as that remains the status quo, analysts expect oil and stock markets to experience continued heightened volatility.
Following the weekend escalation involving US – Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s subsequent response, markets have – so far – reacted in a relatively orderly way. The immediate transmission mechanism is energy, because the Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas flows.
Artificial Intelligence has moved from novelty to necessity in what feels like months. Markets have reacted accordingly. Some technology shares have surged on the promise of AI, while others have fallen sharply on fears that AI could undermine existing business models. Like many investors, I’ve been trying to get my head around what is actually happening — and why the stakes suddenly feel so high.