State pensions will rise by 3% next April, but it’s not all strictly good news. On the day that a CPI inflation rate of 3% was announced, the BBC website covering the rise had a picture of pensioners “dancing for … Continue reading →

September inflation was just low enough to spare Mark Carney writing to the Chancellor. And helped spur the first interest rate rise in a decade. Source: National Statistics Each year the Chancellor of the day gives the Bank of England … Continue reading →

The Chancellor has announced the date of his first Autumn Budget as Wednesday 22 November. The second Budget of 2017 will be both Mr Hammond’s first Autumn Budget and the first Budget after the general election. Traditionally, the first Budget … Continue reading →

The Bank of England has signalled that interest rates may rise soon. Early in September, the money markets were expecting the first Bank of England interest rate rise to occur in late 2018, at the earliest. A little more than … Continue reading →

The third quarter of 2017 has ended and despite the heavy political news, investment returns were generally positive. Index Change 30 June – 29 September FTSE 100 +0.8% FTSE All-Share +1.2% Dow Jones Industrial +4.9% Standard & Poor’s 500 +4.0% … Continue reading →