Spencer Winfield at stockbroker Charles Stanley replies: When providing performance comparisons for a portfolio, a stockbroker or fund manager will normally compare the rise or fall of the portfolio they manage against a particular index or indices. The index will generally be chosen at the portfolio's creation and used as a benchmark against [...]
The Bank of England was urged to reduce rates on Thursday by at least one percentage point from 3% to 2%, with some experts arguing the case for an even bigger move.
It followed shocking figures from the construction sector and ongoing concerns that the low level of bank lending is starving the economy and [...]
Just weeks before Christmas, Aston Martin, Unilever and Halfords announced cuts to their workforces.
The losses will add to a growing tally as firms struggle in the worst economic downturn since the First World War.
Unemployment is at 1.8m, its highest level for 11 years. It is expected to rise to 3.3m by 2010.
Every day, about [...]
The stubborn refusal of lenders to turn on the mortgage tap means hundreds of thousands of borrowers are stuck on unaffordably high rates.
And nothing Alistair Darling said last week will make any difference.
Until May, Lee Tibbenham and his partner Melissa Smith, who have a one-year-old son Joseph, were on a fixed-rate mortgage of 5.85% [...]
A 'significant and sustained' downturn in the economy has prompted the call from manufacturers, while struggling small businesses say that Chancellor Alistair Darling's Pre-Budget stimulus package does not go far enough.
The market is already anticipating another significant reduction in borrowing costs after last month's surprise 1.5 percentage point drop in the base rate.
City opinion [...]
John Duffield's struggling group said it was in 'advanced and constructive discussions' over its crippling £230m mountain of debt.
The request for shares to be suspended was made at the all-time low of just 14p this morning, having crashed 97% from a peak of 485p just 18 months ago. After the request was denied by [...]
Punitive increases announced by Chancellor Alistair Darling in his Pre-Budget Report last week will hit those earning more than £140,000 hardest.
From 2011, big cuts in personal allowances and an increase in the top rate to 45p will effectively push the rate of tax for those on £140,000 to 60p in the pound - the [...]
A rally in the price of gold over the past month has seen it rise from about $740 per ounce, at the start of November, to $814 this week. And while its value remains under the $840 seen at the beginning of 2008, and considerably below its peak of more than $1,000 in [...]
From present limits to second class stamps, there are a host of money-saving tips that won't spoil the festive season.
Expert haggler Marc Lockley has compiled a list of 12 handy tips for This is Money readers that will help your money-saving Christmas go with a bang...
For those looking to have a thrifty Christmas [...]
'The speed of the drop in property values is unprecedented for this country, but when the market starts to pick up, the huge advantage that buyers currently have will be lost,' says James Greenwood, of Stacks Property Search & Acquisition.
He points buyers in search of a great deal towards new developments.
'With most developers in [...]
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