Blue chips take a knock as Marks & Spencer relegated
Marks & Spencer was demoted from the FTSE100 in September. Source: London Stock Exchange The FTSE100 is subject to a quarterly review of its 100 constituents. The process is not quite as simple as picking the 100 largest companies listed … Continue reading
Interest rates back on the slopes
In September the US and European central banks cut interest rates, again. When the US central bank, the Federal Reserve, cut its main interest rate by 0.25% at the end of July, it was the first reduction in over 10 … Continue reading
Annuity rates hit 25-year record low
Annuity rates hit their lowest level since 1994 in September, with implications for those making retirement decisions. Since the introduction of pensions flexibility in 2015, annuities have become much less popular as a way of converting a pension fund into … Continue reading
Who are the top 1% of income tax payers?
A recent report looking at who pays the most income tax reveals some interesting findings. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published a briefing note in early August with a detailed answer to the question of what it takes to … Continue reading
Cracking down on compliance pays for HMRC
New figures show HMRC’s “customer compliance” efforts are yielding substantial sums. In early August, HMRC issued its annual report and accounts for 2018/19. While not everyone’s choice of holiday reading, it did contain some eye-opening information about the “compliance yield” … Continue reading

