HM Revenue & Customs has handed back just under half a billion pounds to individual taxpayers since April 2015, which Royal London says shows the organisation is “out of control” when it comes to over-taxing people and then expecting them to claim it back.
Joel Le Saux, manager of the Japan opportunities fund at SYZ Asset Management, argues the Japanese equity rally won’t last.
Having led much of the global equity market equity rally in 2017, managers are at odds over the prospects for technology stocks in 2018.
Global investors have begun 2018 in bullish mood, with investors across all regions showing an improved appetite for risk according to the latest State Street Investor Confidence Index.
The Volatility Index (Vix) has risen to its highest level since August, following a frenetic overnight sell-off in the bond and stock markets.
A combination of a resurgent mining sector, exchange rate gains and one-off specials led to the payment of a record ever amount of UK dividends in 2017, according to Link Asset Services (formerly Capita Asset Services).
The UK economy exceeded forecasts as the gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.5% in the last quarter of 2017, up from 0.4% in the third quarter.
With a return of 31.9% in dollar terms, the MSCI Frontier Markets Index achieved its highest gain in 10 years in 2017, continuing the theme of emerging markets outperforming their developed peers.
A fall in oil and gas production may see below consensus GDP growth of 0.3% for the fourth quarter of 2017, despite bullish business surveys, consultancy Pantheon Economics says.
Analysts missed the mark more often than not with their FTSE 100 recommendations in 2017, raising more questions about the “value-add” of research, data from AJ Bell has revealed.
Bonds pose “a clear and present danger” to investors, Seneca Investment Managers’ Peter Elston has warned.
Average weekly household spending rose to its highest level since 2006 for the financial year ending 2017, as retail sales for December declined.
