“Inflationary pressures have eased enough that we’ve been able to cut interest rates” Last week, the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted by a narrow majority of 5 – 4 to reduce Bank Rate by 0.25%, to 5%. Four committee members expressed a preference to maintain it at 5.25%. This is the […]
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Money – In the news
Financial goals fall by the wayside A poll has found that 57% of adults had money-related goals for 2024, such as reducing debt and wanting more disposable income1. However, two-thirds (67%) had given up on achieving their financial aims by the end of Q1; 16% said this was due to having unrealistic expectations, and 10% […]
Economic Review – July 2024
UK growth stronger than expected Figures released last month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the UK economy grew faster in May than had been predicted, while survey evidence points to a more recent post-election pick-up in business activity. The latest gross domestic product (GDP) statistics revealed that economic output rose by 0.4% […]
News in Review
“Last Week’s Kings Speech… has the potential to give businesses the confidence they need to grow, invest and drive economic growth” Although the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Business Trends Survey showed manufacturer optimism tempered slightly in July, there is an expectation that output is set to increase over the next quarter, with overall […]
The equity release market – “green shoots”
According to a lifetime mortgage lender, one in five of their new equity release plans in Q1 were taken out by homeowners with properties worth over £550,0001. When asked why they were releasing equity, 22% of customers said they planned to spend the unlocked cash on improving their home. Less than 20% of borrowers wanted […]
ISAs: a quarter century strong
Since being launched on 6 April 1999 as successor to PEPs and TESSAs, the Individual Savings Account (ISA) has become an integral part of the UK savings and investment landscape. Worth celebrating By any measure, the humble ISA has been a huge success. The latest HMRC figures show that more than 22 million UK adults […]
Limiting ‘home bias’
Does your investment portfolio suffer from too much ‘home bias’? It’s natural for investors to stay close to home when thinking about investing, contemplating well-known UK companies or UK-focused funds rather than looking further afield. But if your portfolio becomes too heavily concentrated in the UK, you risk missing out on valuable diversification benefits and […]
News in Review
“I am determined to create wealth for people up and down the country” The government’s legislative agenda was set out in the King’s Speech last Wednesday. Delivered at the State Opening of Parliament, the government set out a package of bills it intends to introduce to Parliament in the coming sessions and months, in addition […]
Commercial Property Market Review – July 2024
A report from Carter Jonas indicates some growth in commercial markets recently According to MSCI, annual retail rental growth was 0.9% in May – the highest annual growth rate since 2016. While rental values have grown modestly since 2022, values are still 17% lower than the peak seen in 2018. In the retail warehouse subsector, […]
Residential Property Review – July 2024
A new Labour government – what next for housing? Following the Labour Party’s landslide election win, what changes might be in store for the UK housing market? In the Prime Minister’s introduction to the King’s Speech on 17 July, Sir Keir Starmer stated “Too many people currently live with the threat of insecurity and injustice, […]