Boris Johnson, now leader of the Conservative Party enters Downing Street as the leader of a divided country facing a constitutional crisis. He has to date played hard-ball with the EU, with a ‘do or die’ attitude in respect of the 31 October deadline. As that date approaches, given that he now has the job
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The Dangers of Brexit Given the unprecedented nature of Brexit, many investors are becoming cautious in their approach, which possibly means they may be inclined to invest elsewhere, which is no doubt influenced by the noise of daily politics. Yet, the truth is that the Brexit uncertainty is well recognised, so while people are
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Today the base rate rose to its highest level since the financial crisis 10 years ago, with the Bank of England increasing it to 0.75%. All 9 members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), chaired by Mark Carney, voted to raise the rate. This was widely expected by both the market and commentators, given that
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Stock-Market Volatility – February 2018 After a lengthy stretch of calm, stock market volatility has returned this week. On Monday, the Dow Jones index fell 1,175 points, the single largest one-day drop in history. This has affected the UK stock-markets also. The FTSE 100 has dropped over the last week, with six consecutive days of
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As we enter 2018 it is conceivable that the world’s leading economies will continue to display strength and resilience. The US economy is strong and the eurozone economies are improving along with an increase in global trade. This improvement among developed economies should also have a positive impact on the manufacturing economies of East Asia
Read MoreAs expected with Brexit looming, Philip Hammond delivered a fairly non-descript Budget with only one or two small surprises. The highlights relevant to our clients are detailed below. Pensions Lifetime allowance for pensions – the Budget papers confirmed that the lifetime allowance for pension savings will increase in line with CPI, rising to £1,030,000
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A question on people’s minds at the moment is ‘Are we about to experience a stock market downturn?’ given the length of time we have been in a ‘bull market’ and also in light of the uncertainty regarding Brexit etc. Here we discuss the key findings within our domestic and the international economies and what
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It is now clear that our Prime Minister underestimated the strength of populist sentiment and we are now in a position where no party has managed to achieve a parliamentary majority. The opinion polls prior to last Thursday’s vote pointed to a Conservative win although not the landslide that was expected just a few weeks
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Following the announcement for a ‘snap-election’ on the 8th June, there has been speculative activity among traders with sharp moves in the value of the pound and UK companies. What Happened and Why? Theresa May is said to want greater power and leverage in the Brexit negotiations which she expects to be gained from a
Read MoreSpring Budget 2017 Update Yesterday, Philip Hammond the Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered the last Spring Budget (although as he joked, we’ve been told that before, by Norman Lamont in 1992). There were no significant tax or pension changes in yesterday’s Budget that will have any immediate impact, allowing all to plan for the tax
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