Tending your portfolio will make it bloom! All successful gardeners will understand the need to regularly tend their plants, shrubs and lawns in order to ensure a garden can flourish. And, for investors, taking a similar approach with their financial affairs can also bear fruit by ensuring their investment portfolios don’t become neglected and, as a … Continued

Our monthly economic review is intended to provide background to recent developments in investment markets as well as to give an indication of how some key issues could impact in the future. It is not intended that individual investment decisions should be taken based on this information; we are always ready to discuss your individual … Continued

Pay growth strongest in a decade •  The latest batch of labour market statistics shows that UK workers’ basic pay is now growing at the fastest rate in nearly 11 years. According to data from the Labour Force Survey, average weekly earnings, excluding bonuses, rose by an annual rate of 3.6% in the three months to … Continued

Bank cuts growth forecast.   The Bank of England (BoE) has reduced its growth forecast for the UK economy amid growing concerns over global trade tensions and fears of a no deal Brexit.   In its latest policy statement, the BoE said it now expects economic growth to be flat during the second quarter of this year, a … Continued

New pensioners aren’t splashing the cash………………….When the new pension rules came into force in April 2015, fears were expressed that pensioners might raid their pension pots to go on a spending spree. The former Pensions Minister Steve Webb, famously remarked at the time that pensioners could choose to spend their savings on buying a Lamborghini … Continued

SFFS Economic Review_May 19

The UK economy grew more strongly than expected in February as ‘preBrexit’ stockpiling provided a boost to the monthly rate of economic growth. Official gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the economy expanded by 0.2% in February. While this does represent a relatively modest growth … Continued

Are the best things in life really free? Recent research1 shows that many of life’s most enjoyable events come with a hefty price tag. The research calculates that going to university, buying a house, getting married, having two children and then retiring could, on average, add up to £566,659 over the course of a lifetime. … Continued

Our monthly economic review is intended to provide background to recent developments in investment markets as well as to give an indication of how some key issues could impact in the future. It is not intended that individual investment decisions should be taken based on this information; we are always ready to discuss your individual … Continued