Asia contains the majority of the world’s population and is growing fast enough to produce an economy the size of Germany every 4 years. The Asia Pacific ex Japan Index has fallen by 28% from its April 2015 peak taking…
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Chinese authorities have for some time been accused of manipulating their GDP figures. The latest Q3 figures for 2015 report a 6.9% year-on-year growth which does nothing to allay these suspicions. The unofficial alternative index covering electricity consumption, bank lending,…
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This widespread opinion comes as government policies have turned to expansion in the US, China and Europe at the same time. In China, recent equity purchases by the Peoples Bank of China (PBC) and interest rate cuts are now filtering…
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After the dramatic falls in equity markets in August, stock market volatility extended throughout September. These market falls contributed to the worst quarter in global stock markets since quarter 3 of 2011 and the Eurozone crisis. Confidence in the strength…
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As mentioned in previous articles the lifetime allowance for pensions will reduce from £1.25m to £1m from 6th April 2016. Legislation for both the reduction in the LTA and the protection regimes (fixed protection 2016 and individual protection 2016) will…
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For the tax year beginning 6th April 2016:- the personal allowance will increase to £11,000 the basic rate limit will be increased to £32,000 the higher rate threshold will be increased to £43,000 From 6th April 2016 there will only…
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From April 2016 we have 2 important funding rule changes for pensions:- Lifetime Allowance reduces to £1m. AA for high earners is being reduced on a tapered basis. Those with income above £150,000 will see their annual allowance reduced by…
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The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement didn’t contain any major tax or pensions shake ups that have any immediate impact for clients. Key decisions on pension tax relief reform and second hand annuity markets have been postponed. This means we can plan…
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The proposals are designed to avoid the need for taxpayers to bail out banks ever again. The Financial Stability Board (FSB) the organisation that co-ordinates banking regulation across the G20 Nations, has published new proposals that will require the world’s…
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