How to use ISAs to simplify your life February 8, 2021 ISAs are an incredibly useful savings and investment tool which should form the bedrock of your financial planning strategy. They can even help you simplify and streamline your personal finances for an easier life. Here’s how. Spend less time on your tax return If you complete a self-assessment tax return, any interest, capital growth or [...]
Vaccines, central banks and a value revival: What’s driving investment decisions in 2021? February 8, 2021 In 2020, there was only one story in town: the coronavirus crisis, and newsflow about the pandemic was the biggest driver of stock markets. With macroeconomic news affecting investments more than ever before, what are the key issues that will shape the experts’ investment decisions this year, and what could it mean for your investment [...]
The rise of TikTok ‘finfluencers’ offers lessons for the investment industry February 2, 2021 No longer just a platform for teenage dance challenges, TikTok is becoming the number one spot for financial advice.
Woolard review: FCA cracks down on £2.7bn buy-now-pay-later market February 2, 2021 Interest-free buy-now-pay-later credit agreements will be regulated by the City watchdog after the market swelled to £2.7bn last year. The plans, drawn up by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), have been designed to protect consumers, after the use of buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) transactions tripled in 2020, as shoppers looked for ways to spread their money further [...]
The truthiness of ESG criticism February 2, 2021 | City Talk There are two often-repeated critiques of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing that I really can’t stand. They have the quality of truthiness about them and are what academics sometimes call “as if” arguments. For my younger readers, the term truthiness is defined by Wikipedia as follows: “Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular statement [...]
Hedge fund Melvin Capital bags billions from investors following GameStop debacle February 1, 2021 After losing more than 53 per cent in January, Melvin Capital, the hedge fund at the centre of the GameStop drama, enjoyed a cash injection from investors in the last days of the month. The firm started the year with roughly $12.5bn, according to reports, but that dramatically dipped after it was at the centre [...]
EU securities watchdog calls for stricter regulation on greenwashing January 29, 2021 The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said today EU rules are needed to regulate ratings on the environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects of companies to avoid investors being deceived by “greenwashing”. Asset managers use ESG ratings to make “green” environmentally conscious investment decisions. Greenwashing refers to inaccurate claims that investments are sustainable and [...]
Are any stock markets cheap going into 2021? January 27, 2021 | City Talk Where is the value in stock markets today? This is a difficult question to wrestle with. At face value, the bad news is that everywhere looks to be at nosebleed-red levels of expensiveness. Of the 25 measures in our regular stock market valuation grid below (five markets and five measures for each), 16 are more [...]
Taper Tantrum 2: is there a sequel in the making? January 26, 2021 | City Talk Sequels – occasionally they’re better (The Godfather Part II), but most of the time they’re worse. Often far worse (Jaws: The Revenge). As investors and economists look for the next market risks after the pandemic, some are now expecting a follow-up to 2013’s blockbusting Taper Tantrum. This sequel could even be coming to (trading) screens [...]
Covid’s catapult: four positive trends for women January 26, 2021 | City Talk Women have been making progress for years, but at a glacial pace. Year after year, I see the same bleak numbers: the more or less stagnant percentages of women in senior management, on boards, in finance, in tech, in investing. However, Covid-19 has been a catalyst and change accelerator in many areas, and while its burdens [...]
