Sluggish growth is forecast for the world economy in 2013 – with trade and expansion more or less standing still, according to new research. The National Institute Economic Review (NIER) says that growth will run below its normal trend at 3.3% this year and rise slightly to 3.7% in 2014. Trade around the world will [...]
News Articles
Executive pay rises four times more than worker salaries
January 7, 2013
Executive pay has trebled in the past decade and salary increases over the past year are running at around those for the average worker In the past financial year, the average increase for an executive was 12 % despite the aftershocks of the banking crisis and recession gripping the economy. The findings come from the [...]
Student letting bond takes top investment honours
December 13, 2012
Investors who are looking for a degree of success in student letting but do not want the hassle of managing their own property now have an alternative. Britain’s biggest corporate student landlord Unite Group is issuing a corporate bond paying 6.125% interest over 90 months. Unite is a FTSE 250 company letting out around 42,000 [...]
Six tips for buying the right investment property
December 8, 2012
Put several property people in to a room and they will argue about the best homes to buy to make rental profits. If you are parting with hard-earned cash to start a fledgling property empire, the first problem is what type of home to purchase. Here are six tips to help you make the decision: [...]
Auckland property bubble may soon burst
November 29, 2012
The property bubble may be about to burst in the New Zealand capital Auckland, where home prices have defied economic gravity over recent months. Home prices dropped 1.1% between August and September – to an average NZ$585,838, according to the latest monthly price report from estate agents Barfoot & Thompson. The drop in home values [...]
Investors flocking to buy Turkey homes
November 28, 2012
Foreign home buyers are flocking to take a bite out of the market in Turkey after relaxed property laws eased restrictions for investors. The new law lets buyers from outside Turkey invest in homes – where old laws only allowed buyers from countries where Turks could purchase property in to the market. The change has [...]
Time to revisit New Zealand Kiwisaver QROPS
October 21, 2012
The dust has settled on the HM Revenue & Customs recent onslaught against New Zealand QROPS, and it’s time to revisit Kiwi pensions for expats. In April 2012, tough new HMRC QROPS tax rules led to many New Zealand Kiwisaver pensions closing for new business from UK expats. However, New Zealand QROPS are still open [...]
Wealth check will test how IFAs treat the rich
October 20, 2012
A new wealth check on how advisers are serving their richest clients is underway by the Financial Services Authority. The FSA has warned a number of firms telling them to expect compliance visits in the near future. The review is aimed at looking at how the firm’s manage money for their clients, the suitability of [...]
UK and Eurozone face months of recession, say economists
May 9, 2012
The UK and Europe are likely to stay in recession for some months and other developed nations face challenging economic problems that will slow down growth, according to the latest global economic forecast from a leading think tank. China and India are still forging ahead to lead world output, but their rate of growth is [...]
