The UK market for shares or equities has bounced nack from the low point of roughly a year ago. Most other markets around the world have also recovered to a considerable extent.
And with cash deposits generally providing relatively low returns at present, is this the moment to commit more funds to the UK stock market, or is it time to be cautious?
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
Mr Darling’s third Pre-Budget Report (PBR) was directed at two main audiences. The first was the electorate, which will be considering the Government’s fate within the next six months. The second audience consisted of the global investment markets, which, post-Dubai, have become increasingly concerned about countries with large budget deficits.
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
Nationwide Building Society’s consumer confidence index, based on a survey of 1,000 people conducted between 21 December 2009 and 17 January this year, reveals that the ‘expectations index’ is up at 107 points (Reuters, 3 February 2010).
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
The end of the 2009/10 tax year on 5 April marks the end of an era. The new tax year sees the arrival of a 50% additional rate income tax band and the phasing out of personal allowances if your total income is over £100,000. These changes make the latest round of year-end tax planning more important than normal. Among the factors to consider are:
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
Important changes to state pensions begin in April this year. They mark the culmination of a reform process that started in the mid-1990s and was reworked following the Pensions Commission reports of the mid-2000s.
The main changes starting to take effect from 6 April 2010 are:
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
... that while large bonuses for bankers have been grabbing the headlines, another, distinctly less exciting, annual bonus ritual has been taking place?
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
The inflationary threat to the value of savings is always lurking in the background. The rate of inflation has swung up and down massively in recent times, so how should inflation protection be incorporated into your savings?
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
Corus in Teeside, Flyglobespan in Edinburgh and Lloyds Bank in Brighton may be unrelated businesses in different parts of the UK but they have one thing in common: all are making job cuts.
The most recent Government statistics show total unemployment in the UK increased by 21,000 to 2.49 million, the highest level since early 1995. The UK's unemployment rate has now reached a 13-year high of 7.9%.
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
Child Trust Funds (CTFs), which finally came into being in April 2004, may not be around for much longer. The Government provides a CTF voucher for each child of £250 at birth and a further payment at age 7, with the amounts doubled for low income families. A CTF can be topped up by parents, relations or friends, up to a maximum of £1,200 a year (based on the child’s date of birth, not the tax year).
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
with the main CO2 threshold falling by 5g/km to 130g/km for 2010/11? For 2011/12 there will be another 5g/km cut and the £80,000 list price cap will be abolished. Unless you have a low emission car (120g/km or below), the effect of these changes will usually be to increase the taxable value of your car by 1% of its original list price every year.
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
All companies are likely to have some key individuals on their staff whose loss could jeopardise their business. These people, who could be anyone from venerable board members with reputations that acquire new business or visionary IT specialists, are vital to the well being of a company – either in keeping up day-to-day efficiency or in terms of growing the business.
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |
This year is set to bring substantial changes to the housing market, which could include the removal of the zero rate stamp duty band and higher interest rates. UK real estate has been floundering, despite government intervention.
read more
|
| |
|
|
| |