News

Contactless payments the new norm According to research1, the pandemic has accelerated the transition to contactless payments, with two thirds (66%) of card transactions in the UK now contactless. The contactless limit was increased from £30 to £45 on 1 April. Almost half (45%) of UK adults – surveyed between 10-12 April – admit their […]

The pandemic has placed immense pressure on financial markets across the globe. Markets hate uncertainty and, in recent months, that has been one commodity not in short supply. Heightened volatility, however, does always demonstrate one investment certainty – the importance of portfolio diversification as a means of guarding against market turbulence. Time to take stock […]

 “Everything is being done that we possibly can to increase testing capacity” All over the country, people have been struggling to get tested for coronavirus, with appointments paused and the system under immense pressure as demand spikes. Some people in need of a test have reported being directed to sites located hundreds of miles from […]

“It is so important that we take these tough measures now” With the number of coronavirus cases rising across the UK, the Prime Minister was back on the Downing Street podium last Wednesday to announce new measures. As we enter the autumn, with the country at a critical moment and the average rate of new […]

FASTER REBOUND; SLOWER RECOVERY As recent economic statistics confirm the UK officially entered recession, Bank of England (BoE) forecasts suggest the slump will be less severe than previously thought, but the ensuing recovery is likely to take longer. Data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the economy shrank by 20.4% between April […]

“Massive milestone” Millions of children in England and Wales returned to school last week. For many, it was the first time in attendance since March, due to the disruption caused by the pandemic. Pupils started adjusting to life in a class or year group bubble, with a raft of precautionary measures in place, such as […]

“Our priority is to get children back to school safely” As Storm Francis lashed the UK last week, another storm was brewing as the government took a late U-turn regarding the use of face coverings in schools in England. From the beginning of September, secondary pupils and adults in local lockdown areas of England and […]

TRUE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC YET TO BE FELT According to Derwent London (property investor, developer and landlord in the capital), the real impact of the pandemic on the office market is yet to be felt. With job losses and business failures likely to increase over the next few months, office vacancies will also rise […]

“A new approach to public health” Last week, as the COVID-19 global death toll passed 800,000, Health Secretary Matt Hancock launched a new body tasked with a “single and relentless mission” of protecting people from external health threats including pandemics and infectious diseases. Mr Hancock said the National Institute for Health Protection will combine Public […]

Early tax year ISA investors could be thousands of pounds better off, according to research1 looking at the investing habits of hypothetical ISA investors over the last 10 and 20 years.  The study concludes that if you were an ‘Early Shirley’ and invested your full ISA allowance on 6 April for the past 20 tax […]