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Money Week

One example of the madness of our inheritance tax rules

One of the maddening things about our financial services industry is how slowly it has been innovating to help the growing ranks of the relatively rich and retired.

Take equity release mortgages. They should be the perfect product – a great way for older people to stay in their homes but ...

today 09:08 open_in_new
Money Minute Monday 14 October: the week ahead

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On Tuesday we get the latest data on unemployment and wages, both of which continue to be strong, despite signs of a slowdown elsewhere in the economy. Then on Wednesday, we get the latest date on inflation, ...

today 07:02 open_in_new
Banking faces a spiral of decline

Once highly prized jobs on Wall Street or in the City have lost their allure.

The pay was fantastic. There were palatial offices in the smartest locations. Every Christmas there was a bonus with five, or sometimes even six, zeros on the end of it. The lunches were spectacular, and the ...

yesterday 11:05 open_in_new
Nuclear fusion – what it is, how it works and when it could be powering our lives

Nuclear fusion could secure unlimited clean, safe and carbon-free energy for the rest of time would be revolutionary for the world economy. Is this now within sight?

The UK government announced last week that it is to invest £220m to enable the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to design ...

2019-10-12 13:59 open_in_new
The charts that matter: hopes for a trade deal and a Brexit breakthrough

Welcome back. Brexit is nearing what might be its final crunch moment, as I write. As a result, you really need to book your ticket now for our Wealth Summit on 22 November.

By then, we’ll have a better idea of what deal we’re getting (if we’re getting a deal at all, for that ...

2019-10-12 11:53 open_in_new
Vietnam: winning Trump’s trade war

There’s been one clear winner in the US-China trade war so far, says Chris Matthews on MarketWatch – Vietnam. The Southeast Asian country has become “a popular destination for new manufacturing investments as multinational firms seek to reorganise their supply chains to avoid US tariffs on ...

2019-10-11 16:59 open_in_new
Currency Corner: the Romanian leu – a currency that has fallen even harder than the pound

I’m heading to Romania this weekend for the Transylvanian Crypto Conference – surely the number one cryptocurrency conference in the whole of Transylvania – so I thought it might be fun, and indeed interesting, to look at Romania’s currency, the leu, in this week’s Currency ...

2019-10-11 14:54 open_in_new
The US Federal Reserve is quietly paving the way for further stimulus

This article is taken from our FREE daily investment email Money Morning. Every day, MoneyWeek's executive editor John Stepek and guest contributors explain how current economic and political developments are affecting the markets and your wealth, and give you pointers on how you can ...

2019-10-11 14:54 open_in_new
Traders keep their faith in the Federal Reserve

“Bad economic data emerges, stockmarkets fall. Investors then predict an interest-rate cut, and stocks rise,” says John Foley on Breakingviews. That familiar pattern played out again last week in the US, when the S&P 500 closed higher even though the latest Institute for Supply ...

2019-10-11 11:44 open_in_new
Share tips of the week

MoneyWeek’s comprehensive guide to the best of this week’s share tips from the rest of the UK’s financial pages.

Shares

Alliance’s “asset-light” business model, whereby it owns the product licences for over 90 pharmaceutical and healthcare products, but outsources the ...

2019-10-11 10:41 open_in_new
Money Minute Friday 11 October: funds, inflation and confidence

For more like this, sign up to Money Morning, our free daily email.

In corporate news this morning, we get trading updates from fund managers Jupiter and Man Group. The industry in general is facing tough competition from cheap passive funds, and that’s not likely to change any ...

2019-10-11 09:38 open_in_new
India’s banking crisis deepens

Yes Bank “could use a helping hand”, says Una Galani on Breakingviews. Bad loans at the private-sector bank – the fourth-largest in India by assets – are rising and the lender needs fresh capital to plug the gap. But with its shares down by 80% this year, investors are reluctant to step ...

2019-10-10 21:02 open_in_new
Pensions freeze is a slap in the face for GE employees

Bad news for workers at General Electric (GE). The company will be “freezing retirement benefits for 20,000 longtime employees” in order to cut billions from its pension deficit and debt pile, says Peter Wells in the Financial Times. In addition to ending the accumulation of extra ...

2019-10-10 19:59 open_in_new
HKEX beats a retreat from London Stock Exchange takeover bid

Hong Kong’s stockmarket operator has abandoned its bid for the London Stock Exchange. It always looked unlikely to work. Matthew Partridge reports.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) will have to put its plans for “creating a global capital markets operator” on ice after ...

2019-10-10 19:59 open_in_new
The answer to our woes is to reverse quantitative easing

A few months ago in an article headlined “15 business and finance writers this billionaire always reads”, US columnist and asset manager Ken Fisher noted that he always reads me, for the simple reason that “Merryn Somerset Webb attacks virtually everything I believe in”. Everyone ...

2019-10-10 16:50 open_in_new
It’s “Brexit or bust” for Boris

Boris Johnson’s strategy is straightforward – to make sure that he’s “the people’s choice” at the inevitable upcoming general election.

When an electorate is polarised, it makes political sense to pick a side. As Margaret Thatcher once said: “Standing in the middle of the ...

2019-10-10 16:50 open_in_new
Brexit: Will we stay or will we go? And what does it mean for investors?

The process of leaving the European Union has descended into a farcical war of attrition. John Stepek looks at what it all means for your money – whatever the eventual outcome.

Whichever side of the Brexit debate you’re on, it’s been yet another week of confusing and ...

2019-10-10 16:50 open_in_new
Are we heading for another October crash? Or should you stay long?

This article is taken from our FREE daily investment email Money Morning. Every day, MoneyWeek's executive editor John Stepek and guest contributors explain how current economic and political developments are affecting the markets and your wealth, and give you pointers on how you can ...

2019-10-10 12:38 open_in_new
Money Minute Thursday 10 October: trade war talks, UK manufacturing and US inflation

For more like this, sign up to Money Morning, our free daily email.

Today, the next round of trade talks between China and the US is scheduled to kick off in Washington. Hopes are not high for any sort of breakthrough – both sides have been talking tough ahead of the ...

2019-10-10 09:29 open_in_new
How the government’s Pension Protection Fund works

The Pension Protection Fund deals with defined-benefit schemes when an employer goes bust.

Thousands of Thomas Cook employees facing an uncertain future can take comfort in the knowledge that their pension savings are largely protected. The Pensions Protection Fund (PPF), the ...

2019-10-09 14:35 open_in_new
Once again – active fund managers are no better in bear markets than in bull runs

This article is taken from our FREE daily investment email Money Morning. Every day, MoneyWeek's executive editor John Stepek and guest contributors explain how current economic and political developments are affecting the markets and your wealth, and give you pointers on how you can ...

2019-10-09 12:29 open_in_new