Uncertainty is, and always will be, part of economic cycles. No forecasting capability could have factored in the impact of the pandemic in which we find ourselves and the consequent uncertainty of what the future holds. Having operated in the funding market for over 10 years, it has become clear that capital requirements will significantly…
There was a time – and wasn’t too long ago – when Liverpool could stake a claim to being the centre of the cultural universe. It wasn’t just about the Beatles. Then as now, the city was a thriving hub for music, poetry and the visual arts, all existing within the larger context of an…
Landmark birthdays are perhaps not what they used to be. Thanks to a general improvement in health and longevity across the industrialised world, many of us have consciously or otherwise, pushed back the age at which we intend to start winding down, (or further down the line, retire) to some indeterminate time in the future….
The United Kingdom’s December began with yet more political drama in the shape of Parliamentary deadlock over the agreement paving the way for withdrawal from the European Union and a subsequent vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister. The vote failed and Theresa May resumed her attempts to win support for her exit deal….
Platform lending has been with us for around eight years now – ever since the launch of Funding Circle, in fact – but for many investors, it remains an untried concept. Yes, this corner of the financial services industry has grown rapidly since 2010, in terms of those who lend and borrow through the available…
The tenth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers has been marked by a predictable and perhaps also very necessary round of stock taking on the part of commentators, policymakers and the great and the good of the financial services industry. A decade on, the question that is mainly asked is: ‘could it all happen…
In April of this year, the Financial Conduct Authority published new proposals aimed at improving transparency on the part of asset management firms when they report to their beneficiaries. In particular, the FCA focused on the question of whether or not asset managers were providing value for money in terms the balance between charges…
May 2018 was not a good month for funds investing in UK equity. According to figures published by the Investment Association (AI), investors withdrew around £1.2bn over the month, representing the biggest outflow since the period following Britain’s vote to leave the EU back in 2016. All companies funds saw the biggest outflow –…