“There is an encouraging downward path of inflation in our central projection” Last week, the Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a majority of seven to two, to increase Bank Rate by 0.5 percentage points to 4%, its highest level for 14 years. The two committee members who opposed the half-point […]
Author archives: charlie
Economic Review – January 2023
UK growth beats expectations The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics show the economy unexpectedly grew in November easing fears that the UK has already slipped into recession. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the UK economy expanded by 0.1% in November. This figure was higher than any forecast submitted […]
News in Review
“The UK is poised to play a leading role in Europe and across the world in the growth sectors which will define this century” Last Friday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt outlined his long-term vision for how to boost UK economic growth. This plan is based on four pillars which Mr Hunt said are “essential for any […]
Commercial Property Market Review – January 2023
Commercial property deals at ten-year low Commercial property deals have collapsed to their lowest level in more than a decade, with just £7bn transacted in the final three months of 2022, according to CoStar. Investors have faced a series of shocks in the past year, including higher interest rates, the September ‘mini-budget’ and the prospect […]
Residential Property Review – January 2023
Housing market slowing but far from stopped Supply and demand both fell in November 2022, according to the latest UK Residential Survey from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), though sales completions remained high for the month. Transactions rose by 2.9% in November, although this is likely to include many mortgage agreements from before […]
Reminder – tax year end
As the end of the tax year approaches, a prime consideration should be how external factors such as reduced or frozen allowances, together with high inflation, could impact your finances and what action you need to take before 5 April 2023. If you are affected by the impending changes to Dividend Tax or Capital Gains […]
Resolution – review and rebalance
Did you know that during periods of market volatility, portfolio drift can be accelerated, meaning your investments may no longer be aligned with your risk preferences and objectives? This is why it’s good practice to have regular portfolio reviews, in order to implement effective rebalancing if required. Regular reviews are also a great opportunity to […]
News in Review
“The beginning of a sign that a corner has been turned” Data released last Wednesday revealed that UK inflation slowed for a second consecutive month, though prices still rose by 10.5% in the year to December. The small drop, down from 10.7% in November, came despite food prices soaring to their highest level since 1977 […]
News in Review
“Pubs and bars… did well as people went out to watch World Cup games” Good news came on Friday, when the latest data release from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that UK monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated to have increased by 0.1% in November. Beating expectations of around 0.2% economic […]
Dividend news
According to the latest Dividend Monitor1, driven by sterling weakness, 2022 headline payouts are expected to rise to £97.4bn, up 11.0% on an adjusted basis, with underlying dividends expected to rise 13.4% to £87.2bn. The provisional forecast for UK dividends in 2023 anticipates a slight drop in headline dividends but modest underlying growth. Looking ahead, […]