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A spring of hope after the gloom of winter? As the second quarter gets underway, the chances of a global recession seem lower now than they were towards the end of last year. Indeed, a combination of events during the first three months of the year have arguably reduced the likelihood of negative real growth…
Please click below to see the latest changes to Morningstar’s Passive portfolio range: Morningstar Passive Portfolio Change Rationale March 2023
As independent financial advisers, we understand that every individual has unique financial goals and challenges. This is especially true for members of the LGBT+ community, who may face additional financial hurdles due to societal and legal discrimination. Mather & Murray Financial was founded in Swindon, by a member of this community, and ensuring everyone gets…
Markets look beyond banking sector stress March ran the whole gamut of emotions for investors, but for the average UK investor holding globally diversified risk profiled portfolios, Q1 still ended above where it began, even if the journey was rather bumpy. Bank run fears that caused so much March angst and downward volatility quickly abated,…
Swiss parochialism backfires March continues to provide investors with the opposite of the ‘steady-as-she-goes’ environment of January and February. It appeared that global banking sector turmoil had eased after Swiss authorities officiated over a classic ‘shotgun’ marriage between Credit Suisse and UBS. Indeed, for a few days, stock markets and bond yields recovered somewhat, but…
Bank stress-testing in real-time Following the run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), fear has spread. The nervousness of market participants over recently elevated stock and bond valuations found its focal point and so the stock index of the aggregate global bank sector had a very bad week. SVB has become the first sizeable victim of…
The Spring Budget certainly sprung a surprise when Jeremy Hunt announced that the lifetime allowance (LTA) is to be abolished. An increase to £1.8m had been strongly rumoured in the days leading up to the Budget, but scrapping it altogether is a welcome simplification for advisers and their high earning clients. In most cases it…
Key Takeaways The closure and wind-down of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has led to some considerable stress in global equity markets, particularly among shares of regional banks, as well as fear of contagion. There are unique elements to SVB that contributed to its demise, including its client base and risk controls. While we are likely…
Pensions Download the latest update and tax tables here. Lifetime allowance The Chancellor announced today that from 6 April 2023 no-one will pay a lifetime allowance charge. From 6 April 2024, the lifetime allowance will be abolished and a future Finance Bill will remove the lifetime allowance completely from pensions tax legislation. The current 55%…
As an independent financial adviser, I often work with clients who are considering equity release as a way to unlock some of the value in their homes. Equity release can be a useful financial tool, but it’s important to understand the reasons why clients take out equity release and the potential risks involved. In this…
