Introduction Economic growth remained subdued at best in many major markets throughout May, as high inflation continued to affect households and businesses across the world and hit confidence. But significantly, some emerging markets such as India have bucked this trend and seen impressive rates of growth. As always, let’s take a closer look at the …
Wanting to look after your family is one of the most natural impulses in the world, and that’s one reason why you’ll want to make sure your finances are in order, so you can provide for them after you’re gone. But another way to help your loved ones is to instill good financial habits into …
Interest rates have been heading in one direction for more than a year now, rising from 0.1 per cent in December 2021 to 4.25 per cent today. That’s had a very real and tangible impact on households in the form of higher mortgage repayments, and also pushed up the cost of borrowing for businesses too. …
Introduction High inflation continued to put the brakes on growth in many major economies throughout April, with the International Monetary Fund expecting global growth to fall from 3.4% in 2022 to 2.8% in 2023. As always, let’s drill down a bit further and take a closer look at what’s been going on across the globe… …
Silicon Valley Bank, the 16th largest bank in the US, was shut down by the country’s regulators last week, and we’ve now learned that HSBC has moved to buy the UK arm of the collapsed institution. Since the bank specialises in lending to technology companies, the rescue by HSBC will be a huge relief to …
Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has delivered his Budget, in which he unveiled big changes to pensions and childcare as part of an effort to tempt people back into work. Here’s our summary of the main announcements: Pensions The lifetime allowance – currently £1,073,100 – to be abolished The tax-free annual allowance for …
Typically, a person who receives a state pension will have made 35 years’ worth of National Insurance contributions.* But there will always be people who haven’t and will therefore miss out. You might have been off work for several years because you had children or caring responsibilities. Or perhaps you lived overseas, or were recovering …
Introduction The defining story of this month has been the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the takeover of Credit Suisse by UBS. Not only has this led to many asking if a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis is around the corner, it’s raised questions over what levers central banks can pull as they …
Introduction Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt was brought in as a safe pair of hands by Liz Truss amid the fallout from last year’s Mini Budget. Of course, Ms Truss herself did not survive much longer, and after being kept in post by Rishi Sunak, Mr Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement, in which he …
Early retirement – retiring any time before the state pension age of 66 – is the dream for many. The pandemic focused many people’s minds; making them think about what they want out of life – and for many in a position to make big changes, early retirement was the big one. The House of …
