The NASDAQ hits all time high at 6,000

NASDAQ – the market most associated with US technology shares reached a new high in April. You may be old enough to remember that the end of the 20th century was marked by a surge in the value of technology shares in the United States. Many of these were traded on the NASDAQ market, which…

Election causes government to scrap proposals from Spring Budget

Spring budget proposals will not now become law

The proposals in the Spring Budget have become victims of the snap election. Philip Hammond has not had much luck with what he said would be his first and last Spring Budget. His proposal to increase Class 4 national insurance contributions from April 2018 survived only a week before being dropped. Then when the Finance…

China: fourth time lucky?

One of the major index providers is reviewing the constituents of its important global market indices. Which country can boast the world’s second largest stock market and third largest fixed interest market? You might be tempted to say Japan, but while you would be in the right part of the world, you would have chosen…

Probate fee changes – an election casualty few will mourn

The election has put a stop to planned increases in probate fees for England and Wales. Once a general election is called, there is usually a period known in parliamentary jargon as a ‘wash up’, during which outstanding legislation is passed, modified and passed or simply killed off, all in a matter of days. Unsurprisingly…

State pension – not quite what was advertised…

The UK basic state pension is proving to be not quite what was expected says a report

Most people reaching state pension age today are receiving less than the new state pension, according to a report in the Sunday Times. A Freedom of Information (FoI) request from the Sunday Times revealed an interesting fact about the new state pension, which started life just over a year ago on 6 April 2016. The…