News & Insight

Market Commentary

Some of the topics covered in this edition are: Avoiding the unretirement ‘tax trap’ – Many over-55s are considering unretirement but are not aware of the tax implications, which could increase their tax liability. Navigating a multi-retirement reality – The retirement landscape is evolving, with more multi-retirement households and age gap relationships adding complexity to […]

Market Commentary

Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour Budget in 14 years on 30 October, during which she announced £40bn of tax rises. She outlined a series of new tax and spending measures, some of which had been widely trailed prior to Budget day, saying, “This government was given a mandate to restore stability to our economy […]

Budget Updates

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, delivered the Labour government’s first Budget on 30 October with a promise to “restore economic stability” and “invest, invest, invest” to promote growth. In her statement, she outlined a number of new tax and spending measures that she said would create “an economy that is growing, creating wealth and […]

Market Commentary

he International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) new World Economic Outlook entitled ‘Policy Pivot, Rising Threats,’ outlines global growth expectations of 3.2% in both 2024 and 2025. The international soothsayer predicts that rate cuts are ‘poised’ to continue, inflationary pressures will ease, growth will be modest, while geopolitical risks ‘remain threats to global stability and growth.’ At […]

Market Commentary

Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation fell to its lowest rate in three and a half years in September. Easing to 1.7%, the rate dipped well below the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) 2% target. Analysts had widely predicted a fall from the […]

Market Commentary

Keir Starmer vowed on Monday to rip up investment-blocking red tape and make regulation “fit for the modern age” as he wooed global business leaders in the hope of attracting companies to invest billions of pounds in Britain. Addressing the International Investment Summit, the Prime Minister said “It’s time to upgrade the regulatory regime, make […]

Market Commentary

Last Thursday, Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey spoke in an interview about the pace at which interest rates are being cut. With two more Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meetings this year, the Governor said the Bank could afford to be “a bit more aggressive” with its rate reduction approach, while acknowledging inflation as […]

Market Commentary

Last week the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its latest forecast, which outlines global growth prospects of 3.2% both this year and next. In its interim economic outlook, the well renowned think tank concluded, ‘The global economy is turning the corner as growth remained resilient through the first half of 2024, with […]

Market Commentary

Last week, the latest UK inflation data for August came in as anticipated at 2.2%, still marginally above the Bank of England’s (BoE’s) target level of 2%. The rate, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), was unchanged from July. Services inflation, which is an indicator of domestic price pressures, rose sharply to 5.6% […]

Market Commentary

Last week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who faced criticism over the Winter Fuel Payment vote, said the Budget on 30 October is set to involve “difficult decisions,” on key areas such as spending, tax and welfare. Her cautionary tone came hot on the heels of the latest monthly UK GDP data estimates from the Office for […]

Market Commentary

The UK economy will now grow at a faster rate than previously thought in 2024, according to a report by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) released last week. The upgrade to 1.1% for 2024 came after official figures put second-quarter growth at 0.6%, a sign that the UK is continuing its recovery from a […]

Market Commentary

Fashion retailers trying to shift stock through summer sales helped shop prices to record their first annual fall for nearly three years, according to research from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Prices in August were down 0.3% from a year ago, the lowest rate since October 2021. The drop in prices was driven by non-food […]