What does it cost to borrow for 50 years? In October, the government provided an answer to that question and, perhaps surprisingly, it was not “whatever the Chinese would charge.” As part of its 2015/16 programme for borrowing £127bn (which … Continue reading →

It was not just the poor weather that made it a bad summer for investors. Index Third Quarter Change FTSE 100 -7.04% FTSE All-Share -6.57% Dow Jones Industrial -7.58% Standard & Poor’s 500 -6.94% Nikkei 225 -14.07% Euro Stoxx 50 … Continue reading →

A long-awaited meeting of the US Federal Reserve did not result in an interest rate rise. 2 p.m. New York time on Thursday 17 September had been much anticipated by investment professionals around the world. It was the hour when … Continue reading →

HM Revenue & Customs’ (HMRC’s) accelerated payments programme has now collected £1bn from users of tax avoidance schemes.   Last year HMRC gained the power to demand upfront tax payment from users of tax avoidance schemes subject to the Disclosure of … Continue reading →

A close reading of the summer Finance Bill has highlighted a further tax consequence of the government’s moves to limit tax relief for interest on buy-to-let mortgages. The July Budget included an attack on individual investors in buy-to-let residential property. … Continue reading →