UK dividends: A bad 2020, but a better 2021?
New data show how far UK dividends fell last year, but projections for 2021 suggest the declines are nearly over. In January 2021, Link Asset Services published its latest UK Dividend Monitor covering the final quarter of 2020 and the … Continue reading
Four financial lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic
As the pandemic enters its second year, what have we learned? The World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic on 11 March 2020, coincidentally the day that Chancellor Rishi Sunak presented his first Budget. At the time, the Chancellor announced … Continue reading
First-time buyer deposits rise after Covid-19 property boom
The average deposit paid by first-time homebuyers jumped by £10,000 in 2020. When the pandemic took hold in the first half of last year, it looked as if the housing market was headed for a fall, if not something more … Continue reading
The 2020 investment year – a ride to remember
The world’s share markets had a rollercoaster ride in 2020. Index 2020 Change FTSE 100 -14.3% FTSE All-Share -12.5% Dow Jones Industrial +7.25% Standard & Poor’s 500 +16.3% Nikkei 225 +16.0% Euro Stoxx 50 (€) -5.1% Shanghai Composite +13.9% MSCI … Continue reading
The tax year end approaches as filing deadline eased
2020/21 is drawing to a close, with a Budget now slated for early March. Ahead of that, HMRC is easing some of its traditional deadlines in the light of the ongoing pandemic. If you’re struggling to prepare your self-assessment tax … Continue reading