Return of the ‘old normal’ or calm before the storm?; Central bank monetary policy: Divergence; Emerging Markets Outperform; Intel bets big on driverless cars Return of the ‘old normal’ or calm before the storm? The first quarter of 2017, therefore, feels like another one of those rare ‘Goldilocks’ periods, when the stock market climate is neither… Read more »
The Chancellor’s spring Budget: still waiting for a cure?; UK Housing Stable, London Faltering; Bitcoin more valuable than gold?; Snap Inc: The hottest IPO turns lukewarm as investors consider the future of advertising; Does waning Chinese stimulus threaten global growth?; Prospect Theory: the problem of ‘perceived performance’ The Chancellor’s spring… Read more »
Below are some of the key announcements in the Budget: Self-employed workers will see their Class 4 national insurance contributions (NICs) increase by 1% to 10% in April 2018, with a further percentage point rise to 11% from April 2019. The government had previously announced that Class 2 NICs will be abolished from April 2018. The… Read more »
The Budget will be the last one to be held in March, with future fiscal statements moved to the Autumn, with one a year, rather than the two we have had. Therefore, it is not expected that there will be radical moves announced by Chancellor Phillip Hammond, with those saved for later in the year. However,… Read more »
February 2017 asset class returns; Sentiment shift or still ‘Trump rally’?; Europe: Welcome return to broad based growth; UK economy: too reliant on the consumer? February 2017 asset class returns For the moment the jury is out, whether the economic momentum that has built up since April/May last year will overcome political headwinds… Read more »
