The move, expected in the Autumn Budget, would see the current £20,000 allowance cut

Experts urge calm as Rachel Reeves eyes £10k cash ISA cap

Experts have issued advice as to how to swerve a decision described as “utterly deluded”.

Cash ISA update as savers can outfox Rachel Reeves with 4 moves

have called for the UK to follow the lead of the United Arab Emirates which requires finfluencers to take out a licence with its regulator.

Calls for change to UK rules as UAE brings in finfluencer licensing

UK equity outflows have been called a “damning indictment” of the perception of Britain by markets.

Calls for govt to ‘urgently’ solve UK equity outflows

As volatility is looking to become a permanent fixture of Donald Trump’s US presidency, advisers nevertheless “believe in staying the course”.

‘There’s a real danger we could lock in losses,’ advisers warn

There has been a surge in the number of companies looking to make staff take a pay cut.

Employers’ key pension move to avoid NI hike as Brits urged to ‘take pay cut’

Rather than asking banks for help, Rachel Reeves and her Labour colleagues should already have worked out what they were going to do, argued one expert.

‘What were they doing for 14yrs’ - Financial experts’ blunt verdict on Labour

Reality TV stars Curtis and AJ Pritchard, who come from just outside Whitchurch, have launched an investment app.

Fint launched by reality stars Curtis and AJ Pritchard

Brothers Curtis and AJ Pritchard, known for their appearances on Love Island and Strictly, have launched an investment app.

Love Island stars launch ETF investment app for Gen Z

Curtis Pritchard’s life has been anything but ordinary since he danced his way into our hearts on Love Island 2019.

Love Island All Stars' Curtis Pritchard's second job with famous brother away from villa

Above: Starmer’s Inheritance speech from August was described as a shower of gloom that rained down on sentiment. “Asking civil servants to create an…

Businesses Tell Starmer to Talk to Them, Not the Regulators

The row has been triggered by a decision by a trust to advise a UK defined benefit (DB) pension scheme on allocating 3% of their portfolio to holding Bitcoin

Pension funds warned on ‘deeply irresponsible’ move to invest in Bitcoin

Since the election, more than $4 billion has flowed into US-listed Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

Bitcoin nears the $100,000 milestone - Share Talk

With Bitcoin prices trading just below $100,000, we explore whether the cryptocurrency can hit the milestone.

Will the Bitcoin price hit $100,000?

Gold has surged in price by 40 percent in the past year

Gold rush – Price hits $3,000 an ounce before Christmas

The Middle East crisis is threatening to unleash an “an economic tsunami” and “oil market havoc”, warned one industry expert.

EU recession crisis as ‘volatile cocktail’ threatens to ‘wreak havoc on markets’

Increasing capital gains tax could lead to fund managers shying away from 'risky, high-return opportunities', according to Practical VC general partner, Aman Verjee.

CGT hike may deter ‘risky, high-return opportunities’

The gold price has reached a new all-time high, passing $2,500. We look at what’s next for the yellow metal and how to invest in gold

Gold price hits record high – could it soar higher?

Evidence of strong growth in the economy may give experts on the Bank of England reason to hold back further cuts in interest rates, it is claimed.

Fears over Bank of England interest rates decision as economy ‘roars back’

Clamouring calls for interest rate cuts greet the Bank of England this morning as mortgage holders anxiously await a decision from Andrew Bailey later today.

Interest rates LIVE: Homeowners hold their breath as UK awaits key decision

Newspage asked a selection of financial services experts how they would you rate the Bank of England’s performance over the past two to three years

“Waiting for US to cut rates first risks destroying UK economy” – brokers

Half of financial advisers are looking to increase their allocation to private assets over the next 12 months, according to the latest FT Adviser poll for Talking Point.

Half of advisers to increase allocation to private assets

Brokers have accused the Bank of England of strangling the UK economy as new data shows that GDP shrank in the third quarter of the year.

Bank of England slammed as UK stands on brink of recession

HMRC’s latest statistics show a downturn in UK residential property transactions in October 2023 compared to last year, while non-residential transactions saw a modest increase from September.

UK residential transactions decrease in October 2023, with a slight rise in non-residential deals, HMRC reports

Financial services have almost unanimously urged the Bank of England to leave rates on hold at tomorrow’s MPC meeting, and most are expecting it to do exactly that.

Financial services and property experts urge Bank of England to leave rates on hold

The deceleration in wage growth is expected to influence the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) decision on the Bank Rate next month, according to economics research firm Pantheon Macroeconomics.

Wage growth slowing quickly enough for the Bank of England to keep interest rates at 5.25% next month, economists

The fortnight-long rally for the FTSE 100 is beginning to dwindle and the magical 8,000-point mark isn’t going to be reached any time soon. Having

Flat start to FTSE 100 on Tuesday as stocks ‘at the mercy of the macro’

The BoE is likely to pause on hiking interest rates further after Thursday’s decision.

Bank of England set for last interest rate hike but odds on pause rise

EXCLUSIVE: A finance expert has said you only have to look at the US to see how ‘woefully behind the curve’ the Bank of England is in its battle with inflation.

Andrew Bailey’s ‘shambolic’ performance exposed as BoE ‘behind the curve’

Wages have outpaced the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate, which fell to 6.8% last month.

Wage growth outstrips inflation but unemployment rises, ONS figures show

Earlier today, the high street bank announced a series of rate cuts across its residential and buy-to-let mortgage ranges

NatWest issues 24-hour warning to customers as it follows HSBC lead

US-based crypto-asset manager, Grayscale, this week won a court ruling against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over its attempt to launch a

UK advisers and wealth managers divided on Grayscale Bitcoin court win

The majority of adviser clients are not familiar with the term thematic investing, according to the latest FTAdviser Talking Point poll.

Less than a third of adviser clients familiar with thematic investing

Experts are warning Britons that “millions of pounds in interest is being lost” in zombie accounts despite interest rates rising significantly over the past year. Savings accounts have benefited from the Bank of England’s decision to raise the UK’s base 14 consecutive times in recent months. As it s…

Savings warning as ‘millions of pounds lost’ in zombie accounts despite interest rate rise

You could be missing out on decent returns by leaving your cash sitting in a current account or low-paying savings account, experts are saying.

‘Zombie bank account’ warning to UK customers who risk losing thousands

Neglected bank accounts paying poor interest rates could be costing savers millions of pounds, advisers have warned.

Millions could be lost in ‘zombie’ accounts, advisers warn

Financial advisers have warned that rising interest rates are resulting in millions of pounds in interest being lost in “Zombie bank accounts.” Zombie

‘Millions of pounds in interest being lost’ in Zombie accounts as rates rise

EXCLUSIVE: Another interest rate rise from the Bank of England will spark a housing market meltdown, a finance expert has said.

House price meltdown warning ahead of Bank of England’s next interest rate move

A new survey of 2000 people, conducted by investment comparison site Investing Reviews, has revealed that 42% of Brits would prefer to leave the UK and live

“Geographic arbitrage increasingly common” as Brits plan to spend time abroad to reduce energy bills and cost of living

The impact of the continued sticky inflation on multi-asset portfolio is a worry for advisers, according to the latest FTAdviser poll for Talking Point.

Advisers worried about inflation impact on multi-asset portfolios

Newcastle-under-Lyme-based financial services firm, Net-Worth NTWRK, is this week celebrating its 10th birthday. The wealth manager, launched in 2013, is

Financial advice firm, Net-Worth NTWRK, celebrates 10th birthday

An ONS estimate for April 2023 indicated a decrease of 136,000 in the number of payrolled employees, bringing the total down to 29.8 million.

UK labour market shows mixed trends amid economic uncertainty

Following the publication of the latest UK labour market data this morning, advisers and other industry experts have been sharing their thoughts with free PR pl

UK labour market data - “first fall in the number of payrolled employees for over two years is a red flag” - reaction

We gathered commentary from experts and analysts to gauge their reaction and gain insight into how the future looks for the high street giant.

Industry reacts to NEXT results: “It’s doing everything investors could ask of it in a difficult retail environment”

It was a case of inflation deja vu as new figures showed annual price hikes stuck in double-digit territory

Inflation headache: More interest rate pain on horizon as 'brutal economic struggle' continues

The IMF’s World Economic Outlook says rates are likely to head back to the historic lows if the country gets on top of inflation.

Interest rates to return to low levels once inflation calms, IMF

AI technology is without doubt the future we are heading towards. However, what that future looks like is still unclear. How will AI be used? Will it repl

Supplement or substitute - How do advisers view ChatGPT’s potential impact on financial services?

The effect of rising energy and labour costs is hitting everyone, and advisers are not immune.

How advisers are battling increasing cost pressures

The Bank of England has raised the base rate to 4%. The minutes report that the MPC believes inflation has peaked. Newspage asked mortgage brokers, wealth ma

Bank of England interest rate decision – Comments from mortgage brokers, IFAs and wealth managers

Households have responded to the falling economy by saving more

UK GDP falls in Q3 – more than initially reported

The Bank of England is widely expected to increase interest rates by 0.5% today as the cost of living crisis continues to plague the country.

Should the Bank of England raise interest rates later today? Brokers give their take

It is widely anticipated that, in their pursuit of trying to curb double-digit UK inflation, the Bank of England’s MPC will today decide to hike interest rates

Should the Bank of England increase interest rates today? advisers and mortgage brokers give their verdicts

Since May to July 2022, the professional and scientific industry has been the only one where regular wage growth (excluding bonuses) has remained higher than in

ONS report into wages and inflation - professional and scientific sectors keep pace, retail, property and finance suffer

IFAs and financial planning specialists are sharing their views ahead of what has been forecasted to be the biggest interest rate hike in more than 30 years.

Advisers pragmatic on 'likely' 0.75% rate rise

The Bank of England is expected to raise rates by 0.75% at its next meeting.

How will tomorrow’s rate rise decision affect mortgages? - brokers react

Commentators say SMEs are not given enough credit for levels of job satisfaction but will ‘struggle’ competing with larger firms for talent

Job satisfaction doesn’t equate retention for SMEs, research reveals

The new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is not shy when it comes to giving bad news. So, freelancers should prepare for more fiscal changes

Freelancers: get prepared for more fiscal U-turns, IR35 reform uncertainty - Freelance Informer

The Bank of England has today (11th October) announced that it will widen the scope of its daily gilt buying operations to include purchases of index-linked gilts.

Bank of England expands gilt purchase operation

As we digest the release of the ONS labour market data published this morning, the following comments give some interesting insight into the real temperature

UK labour market data: “We are seeing an increase in enquiries from people who have been dismissed” - reaction

This morning, the Bank of England has announced that it will widen the scope of its daily gilt purchase operations to include purchases of index-linked gilts,

BoE widens gilt purchase operations to include index-linked gilts - reaction from advisers, investment and wealth managers

Just 3.5% of UK adults were unemployed in August 2022, down from 3.6% in July, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.

Unemployment hits 47-year low - ONS

The UK blue chip index under pressure again as investors face combination of concerns

FTSE 100 in the red as Bank steps in again

The Bank of England has announced additional measures to support market functioning and support an orderly end of its purchase scheme which is in the final week of operations.

Bank of England doubles government bond purchase limits in further support measures

Wes Wilkes, founder and managing partner at Iron Market tells us why they have taken on more cash and government bonds.

‘When reflecting on my previous article, which was written in the very early parts of 2020, the tone was quite optimistic, with a promising outlook for the global economy. Nobody could have foreseen the turmoil Covid-19 has caused across the globe.

The first quarter of the year has been unpredictable to say the least and has not been an easy one for most investors. Most asset classes – if not all – took a hit as financial markets faced a sharp sell-off in February. As a result, this has also been challenging for many investment management firms. We have tried to deal with portfolio positioning and the best possible solutions to weathering the coronavirus storm, but more importantly keeping our clients well informed and continuously updated.

It has been particularly interesting implementing our approach during this time with such a tightknit team, usually occupying our own corner of the office and discussing ideas all day. A move to working from home means Zoom meetings and telephone calls are our way of maintaining that impetus to continue performing for our clients and our team.


Heading into Q2, our portfolios are shaped very differently, where, coming into Q1, we originally increased our tactical UK equity exposure particularly in small and mid-caps. Given the extenuating circumstances, we reduced pockets of equity exposure across portfolios, adding a higher cash weighting and additional exposure to government debt.

There are two key reasons for the tactical tilt in increased cash. Firstly, to reduce IronMarket portfolios’ exposure to significant volatility. Although we are not out of the market by any sense, as an investment house we have minimised exposure to some risk-on assets as the magnitude and negative impact of the coronavirus still lacks visibility. Secondly, once we see a clearer picture in terms of the impact of the pandemic on the global economy, we can tactically deploy cash into attractive opportunities.

The second major shift in the portfolios is increased exposure to government debt. Although liquidity and widening of credit spreads are a growing concern, the vast amount of central bank stimulus across the globe, paired with government fiscal stimulus, positions us well for selective exposure to fixed income. We expect several continued spurts of stimulus throughout the year to reduce the financial pressures
of Covid-19.

Although we remain cautious to the more volatile part of the fixed income spectrum, government debt has performed well throughout the pandemic. An example is the Allianz Strategic Bond fund, which we hold across all portfolios. In the year to date the fund has returned approximately 20%. This shows that our tactical tilt will continue to benefit IronMarket portfolios amid continued economic uncertainty and unstable market conditions.

IronMarket balanced portfolio

The balanced portfolio at IronMarket currently has an equity weighting of approximately 30-35% over the short term in its current tactical allocation and a tactical fixed income weighting of 40%. This is in support of our aim to provide consistent risk-adjusted returns. The other key asset allocations include alternative strategies which sit at 8% and a significant cash allocation of 15%.

Although the market backdrop is far from normal, the performance of the balanced portfolio has outperformed the Adviser Fund Index Balanced peer group average. When reflecting on the performance of the balanced portfolio in the year to date, it has returned -8%, compared with the AFI Balanced, which has returned -13.21%.

With an actively managed bias in the balanced portfolio, this has suited a backdrop of economic uncertainty amid a global crisis. We have seen key market indices such as the FTSE All-Share tumbling by as much as 33% at its worst. We continue to closely monitor our investments, seeking opportunities that will benefit IronMarket clients.’

MPS Investment Committee:  Wes Wilkes, founder and managing partner at IronMarket tells us why they have taken on more cash and government bonds.

This morning, the Bank of England has announced a series of additional measures to support the government bond market, including the launch of a Temporary Expan

Bank of England announces additional measures to support market functioning - reaction

The Bank of England’s intervention in the UK government debt market was expected to cost £65 billion, with £5 billion in bond buying every day for a further 13 days.

FTSE 100 Live: BoE intervention to reach £65 billion; further drops in opening trade

Worries about interest rate volatility following Chancellor Kwarteng’s (not so) mini-budget, as well as rising rates and the huge turbulence and concerns in th

Do we need to rethink the risk around asset classes & the ‘lifestyling’ in pensions? verdict from IFAs after a turbulent two weeks

Yesterday (28th September), the Bank of England (BoE) announced it will carry out temporary purchases of long-dated UK government bonds to restore orderly market conditions.

Industry reacts to Bank of England’s gilt market operation

The news that the Pound has hit a record low this morning against the greenback, and is moving every closer to parity, has sent shockwaves in the City, Markets and beyond. Here’s…

Pound crash: Emergency rate hikes and UK company becoming takeover targets

In response to concerns about the impact of Chancellor Kwarteng’s latest plans for tax cuts, in Asian trading overnight, Sterling hit a record low his morning

Sterling slump: “A Government and central bank pulling in opposite directions is the stuff of a banana republic” - advisers and mortgage experts reaction

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