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Part-timers progress on long march to Europe
Part-time workers have a hard life. Many of them are low-paid. Many are women. Many are excluded from occupational pension schemes. But, supported by their unions, they are fighting back. They are also getting help from the European Court of Justice. Last December, the ECJ ruled in favour of a mental health officer on the […]
Mortgage Trust pays renewal on flexible loans
Mortgage Trust is paying out its first renewal commissions to brokers which last year completed over £1m of business on its two flexible mortgage products, the Early Payment Plus and the Current Account Mortgage. Brokers have to be members of Mortgage Trust's Millionaires Club, which supports IFAs which sell mortgages in volume. They will get […]
Strong dollar can be a powerful driver of UK dividend growth in 2015
By Robin Geffen, fund manager and CEO
This year threatens to be a challenging one for UK dividend hunters. Last year saw an all-time record amount paid out in UK dividends — some £97.4bn, according to research from Capita Dividend Monitor. Yet as Capita also pointed out, out the biggest single factor driving the growth in the fourth quarter of last year was easy to identify: the rising US dollar.
In our view, this trend is much more than simply a one-quarter phenomenon. It is actually the most profound issue to get right as a UK equity income investor in 2015. We believe that the US dollar will continue to strengthen significantly from its current level. This is due more to the US economy’s demonstrable de-coupling from the rest of the world than to a view on the UK. The US has a strong chance of tightening monetary conditions this year without jeopardising growth or de-stabilising its housing market. The same can unfortunately not be said about the UK.
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Ian McKenna: Go with the Intelliflo
Launches and developments announced at Intelliflo’s recent annual conference cements its place as a major player in the world of adviser software
Bank of England warns of Brexit costs to asset managers
The Bank of England’s latest financial stability report has warned on the costs of asset management, alongside banking and insurance, rising following the UK’s exit from the EU. The report says: “If asset management were to fragment between the United Kingdom and Europe, material economies of scale and scope that are currently achieved by pooling of funds […]
Billy Burrows: Is Brexit glass half full or half empty for retirement advice?
It is only a few weeks since we woke up to the news of a hung parliament. So what does the political backdrop mean for us? I am not in the business of making predictions but it is important to ask both ourselves and our clients whether the Brexit glass looks half full or half […]
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