Read the latest news and articles from the Gem & Co team
At last! A full house, ladies and gentlemen. For the first time since we started this bulletin all the major world stock markets moved resolutely upwards in February. Some by a little, some by a lot and some – step forward the UK – finally breaking through a previous high from the last century. Whether
Read moreIt’s only two months ago – on December 3rd – that Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement. But we’re now just a few weeks away from his last Budget before the General Election, which will be held on May 7th. When Osborne delivered his Autumn Statement he was relatively optimistic. Britain
Read moreThe great thing about writing this bulletin is that you make a note of something which looks hugely significant around the middle of the month and then something else comes along which makes it pale into insignificance. In this case the ‘hugely significant’ event was the fall in UK inflation – what came along
Read moreThe new pension rules, coming into effect this April, will enable those over 55 to take as much money as they like out of their Defined Contribution (DC) schemes, at lower tax rates. In addressing the new system, Age UK has expressed concerns that some pensioners could use up their savings within ten years. The
Read moreNewspaper reporters who interview centenarians on their landmark birthday cannot seem to avoid the temptation to ask how they have lived so long. Because most people haven’t the faintest idea how they have reached 100, they tend to attribute their good health to something like a weekly tea dance. Medical professionals will say that the
Read morePimco is not a household name in Europe, but is one of the biggest investment managers in the world. In the past year, two high-profile members of the investment and executive team have left the firm. These departures have contributed to investors pulling money from Pimco’s funds. Investors withdrew $23.5bn from Pimco’s flagship bond fund.
Read moreWith recent reports from the Autumn Statement suggesting most of the UK economic indicators are moving in the right direction, it doesn’t mean we can suddenly afford to ignore our personal financial planning. So in the best traditions of New Year here are ten financial planning resolutions that will hopefully help make 2015 a prosperous
Read moreTraditionally, December is a ‘slow news’ month. Like August, the great and the good spend a large part of the month on holiday and world events supposedly move slowly, if at all. Not so in 2014 – There was the Autumn Statement in the UK, the tumbling world oil price, the gloom over the Eurozone,
Read moreOriginally announced during The Chancellor’s Budget speech in March 2014, January 2015 will finally see the launch of the new so-called ‘pensioner bonds’. The rates for the bonds, announced only recently, will see them leading the bond marketplace, with the one-year bond offering 2.80% gross/AER and the three-year bond promising 4.00% gross/AER. The bond’s
Read moreThe price of crude oil has fallen around 40 per cent since a recent peak in June this year. This has a profound effect on economies and markets around the world as the cost of manufacturing and transporting goods falls along with oil producers’ income and the currencies of oil-rich countries. The theory goes that
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