HOW THE AGREEMENT AFFECTS THE CITY May 20, 2010 BANKING • The coalition has agreed to impose some kind of levy on the banking industry, although its exact form has yet to be decided. The Tories want to introduce a fee on banks’ wholesale funding, while the Liberal Democrats would prefer a tax on profits. • There is a vague commitment to tackle “unacceptable [...]
PERSONAL FINANCE NEWS May 13, 2010 POST OFFICE HAS NEW GROWTH BOND The Post Office has just launched a new growth bond, which offers one-, two- and three-year terms and with rates up to 4.10 per cent AER. The Growth Bond Issue 12 has a minimum opening deposit of £500 and a maximum of £1m. But additional deposits aren’t allowed and [...]
Cheats may cash in on home relief March 25, 2010 THE decision to scrap stamp duty for first-time buyers purchasing homes under £250,000 risks becoming a “charter for cheats”, critics suggested yesterday. Although the housing industry has welcomed the move because it should boost a flagging market, there are fears that it will be hard to police. Some institutions, such as the Council for Mortgage [...]
How Stamp duty will change March 24, 2010 On market with Foxtons for £249,999 Stamp Duty payable before budget: £2,499 Stamp Duty payable by first-time buyers now : Zero On market with Foxtons for £1,050,000 Stamp Duty payable now: £42,000 Stamp Duty payable as from April 2011: £55,125
Corporate lending in Europe, Africa and the Middle East rises to $574bn September 30, 2010 COMPANIES in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) borrowed $574bn (£365bn) of syndicated loans in the first nine months of 2010, up 16 per cent on the same period a year ago as the loan market was boosted by a jumbo loan for BHP Billiton, according to Thomson Reuters data. Lending in the third [...]
Corporate lending in Europe, Africa and the Middle East rises to $574bn September 30, 2010 COMPANIES in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) borrowed $574bn (£365bn) of syndicated loans in the first nine months of 2010, up 16 per cent on the same period a year ago as the loan market was boosted by a jumbo loan for BHP Billiton, according to Thomson Reuters data. Lending in the third [...]
Time Line | the shifting landscape of uk taxes March 24, 2010 9 November 2009 50 per cent bank bonus tax on anything over £25,000 introduced as government reacts to anger at financial institutions. 1 January 2010 Rate of VAT goes back up from 15 to 17.5 per cent as planned when the change was brought in at the height of the recession. 1 January 2010 Stamp [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 25, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES WATCHDOG HINTS AT CURBS ON TARGETED WEB ADS Companies such as Google and Yahoo could face tougher scrutiny in the UK after the Office of Fair Trading said it could step in to regulate targeted advertising on the internet. The watchdog said that more needed to be done to ensure that consumer rights [...]
Looking ahead to 2011: some likely winners and laggards December 14, 2010 FROM sovereign debt crises threatening the very future of the euro to currency wars and more quantitative easing, 2010 has been an eventful year in the foreign exchange markets. Currency traders will be pleased to hear that volatility, which has been so characteristic of the FX markets since the crisis, is unlikely to disappear any [...]
Looking ahead to 2011: some likely winners and laggards December 14, 2010 FROM sovereign debt crises threatening the very future of the euro to currency wars and more quantitative easing, 2010 has been an eventful year in the foreign exchange markets. Currency traders will be pleased to hear that volatility, which has been so characteristic of the FX markets since the crisis, is unlikely to disappear any [...]