Safe as houses: How to invest in property without buying a home May 31, 2018 Brits are falling out of love with the property market. A recent report from Rathbones found that more than half of investors now take a pessimistic view on the sector. It’s easy to see why, when the government is making life harder for private landlords – with a tax hike just one of several measures [...]
Mitie chief executive Phil Bentley: Contractors must bolster balance sheets to absorb Carillion-style “knocks” February 5, 2018 Britain’s beleaguered contracting sector must shore up their balance sheets to weather a Carillion-style storm, the boss of support services giant Mitie has said. Capita was the latest contractor to suffer at the hands of investors. Shares almost halved last week after it revealed an operational turnaround and warned on profits. And the likes of [...]
Santander UK arm sees impairments triple after Carillion collapse but group profits rise over 2017 January 31, 2018 Losses from the collapse of Carillion dented profits at Santander’s UK arm, as profits rose across its global operations. Impairments at Santander UK tripled year-on-year to £203m, mainly reflecting loans to the outsourcer and construction firm. Carillion entered liquidation on 15 January after rescue talks with the government and lenders failed. Nathan Bostock, Santander UK [...]
Opinion: Should we be pleased that housing has been promoted to cabinet or should we be taking it out of party politics altogether? January 12, 2018 Take housing out of government control says Glynis Frew The government is beginning to view the importance of housing in the context of national prosperity more so than ever before. Encouraging proposals were announced at the Budget and just this week it was confirmed that housing would at long last have meaningful cabinet representation, for [...]
Minimum alcohol pricing: Scottish government plans 50p per unit alcohol price after Supreme Court backs minimum pricing proposal November 15, 2017 The Scottish government has said it will set minimum alcohol prices “as quickly as possible” after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled in its favour. The measure, passed by the Scottish parliament in 2012, was appealed by the Scotch Whisky Association and others. But this morning’s ruling decided that the policy, in which a price will [...]
Why we aren’t too worried about rising bond yields February 21, 2018 The market was spooked by the recent rise in bond yields as data implied that US interest rates could rise at a faster pace than expected. We expect a positive repricing of bonds. The recent move higher in global bond yields has to be viewed in the context that last year was probably the least [...]
Cyber warriors – the frontline defence against digital attacks June 7, 2018 COMPUTER hacking, ransomware, data breaches, fraud: cyber crime is a bigger problem than ever, and is a concern for everyone, from the humble consumer to the largest of corporations. Cyber warfare has even emerged as the latest military battleground – attacks on government agencies have increased, and both China and Russia have been accused of [...]
Cyber warriors and digital crime – chief information officers reveal what is keeping them awake at night in new survey June 7, 2018 Computer hacking, ransomware, data breaches, fraud: cyber crime is a bigger problem than ever, and is a concern for everyone, from the humble consumer to the largest of corporations. Cyber warfare has even emerged as the latest military battleground – attacks on government agencies have increased, and both China and Russia have been accused of [...]
A year of President Trump: seven charts that reflect market reaction January 19, 2018 Donald Trump became president of the US on 20 January 2017. Markets reacted positively to his pro-business rhetoric and his promise to cut taxes and spend big on infrastructure. The global economy was already picking up a significant head of steam for the first time since the financial crisis. But Trump’s election and his policies [...]
Time to recognise the value of Venture Capital Trust funds November 14, 2017 Next week, the chancellor will unveil his Budget, with just 18 months to go before the UK leaves the EU. Despite Brexit uncertainty, the UK entrepreneurial scene is thriving, and the investment opportunity ripe for those looking to access the growth potential of early-stage businesses. This is something the government has recognised, and we expect [...]