Despite the pandemic, new stats from The Investment Association (IA)1 show investors added over £43bn to funds last year, the second highest recorded. The IA details a key finding ‘inflows to responsible investment funds totalled a record £16bn, up £4.3bn on 2020.’ In December, net retail sales reached £2.3bn. Equity funds were the most popular […]
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Home Finance – In the news
New government initiative ‘The Older People’s Housing Taskforce’ With demand for homes for older people four times higher than supply, the government has been urged to investigate1. The UK’s largest retirement housebuilder is requesting the introduction of rules to ensure 10% of new housing is designed for pensioners. A new government initiative ‘The Older People’s […]
News in Review
“The American economy – powered by working families – continues to be resilient in the face of historic challenges” The US economy contracted in Q1 as surging inflation and supply disruptions weighed on output. A slower pace of inventory investment by businesses also weighed on the growth of the world’s largest economy, as did fading […]
News in Review
“Online sales were hit particularly hard due to lower levels of discretionary spending” As expected, the latest data set from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlighted that consumer spending, impacted by rising costs, led to a reduction in UK retail sales throughout March. As people tightened up on non-essential spending, retail sales volumes fell […]
Money – In the news
Savers say goodbye to £34m in LISA bonuses During the 2020/21 tax year, HMRC reclaimed £34m in Lifetime ISA (LISA) withdrawal charges1. Although the government reduced withdrawal charges for LISAs from 25% to 20% in 2020 (to 5 April 2021) to help those who had no choice but to access their savings during the pandemic, […]
Wealth – In the news
Dividend growth 2022 – cautious optimism A recent report1 has revealed a dramatic rebound in UK dividends in 2021, increasing 46.1% last year to total £94.1bn. This figure was boosted by a record £16.9bn in special dividends, three times the normal level. Special dividends are non-recurring and usually larger than a typical dividend payment. For […]
Residential Property Review – April 2022
Supply shortages fail to blunt sales Low availability is once again the key trend in the UK housing market, even as stock levels edge upwards and sales remain strong. In March, estate agents reported a 3.5% monthly rise in the level of stock on their books, according to Zoopla. Moreover, the number of homes coming […]
Commercial Property Market Review – April 2022
Industrial space in high demand in Q1 Elevated occupier demand has driven strong UK industrials and logistics take-up in Q1 2022, according to the latest research. The take-up of 10.43 million sq. ft in the first quarter is double the total in the same period last year, CBRE noted. Q1 2022 saw take-up more than […]
As life changes your mortgage should too
The cost of living has shot up in recent months, with inflation expected to reach a peak of 8.7% in Q41 and many families facing a significant hike on their annual energy bills from April. With finances squeezed, every penny counts – so it’s important to consider all the options for streamlining your outgoings. If […]
Pension wealth increasing
New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Wealth and Assets Survey1 has revealed that the largest single component of household wealth is private pension holdings. In the latest recorded period (April 2018 to March 2020) pensions represented 42% of aggregate wealth, up from 34% (2006-08), an increase in pension wealth of nearly £70k […]