Managers of Wealth Europe

Stop the (printing) press

Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.

The £64,000 question - should we beware of Barclays' 'big round number'?

“Beware of big round numbers,” says the latest advice from the Local Government Association to Britain’s city councils presentation of their annual budgets.

No reasonable person contests the idea that we should all pay our proper dues. Nevertheless, in a week when it has emerged that HMRC wrote off £10.9 billion last year (with the Treasury expressing ‘some surprise’ according to the Public

THIS MISSING FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE – AND IT’S NOT THE BANKS!

Oh please stop wringing your hands, politicians, and apparently blaming everyone else except yourselves.

Bankers - stop hiding and get out and fight

Stephen Hester signed a contract with the previous government in good faith which detailed how he would be paid for his troubles.

Bear trap for bankers backtracking on bonuses

However the general public feels about Stephen Hester’s bonuses, the taxman is probably also taking a close interest. Could a bonus be taxable despite a decision to waive it?

DOOM AND BOOM?

So just how much sweet and sour can we take in a week?

Renmimbi Rising

George Osborne's efforts last week to try and establish London as the Western centre for the trading of the Chinese currency should be congratulated however, some of the headlines seemed to get a little enthusiastic over something which is going to b

The great pay debate and curbing 'out of control' pay

The Government believes there is scope for more direct and useful reporting on pay, to make it easier to outline the link between remuneration and performance.

Terry Smith: 'Forget active funds, buy an index fund instead'

The active versus passive debate is not new. Research on which method is best has proved inconclusive.

Anti-avoidance announcements come from all directions

We’re always told to mind the traffic. This is never truer than in the case of speeding tax vehicles.

THE GIFT OF FORESIGHT? NO – THE REALITY OF RETURNS

At the start of the year all the investment houses like to roll out their investment plans with such confidence and aplomb.

SocGen's Edwards: China will collapse in 2012

Albert Edwards, head of strategy at Société Générale and a well-known market bear, said the next 12 months will be the "final year of pain and disappointment", the Guardian reports.

GAAR: Got An Alternative Remedy?

When both the prime minister and his deputy are promising action to curb tax avoidance, we have to believe that the proposed General Anti-Abuse Rule is going to reach the statute book some time soon.

Investors flee from European funds as eurozone debt crisis bites

There was a mass exodus from European and Emerging Market Equity funds during Q4 2011 according to Skandia’s latest Investment Trends report.

Shafts of Light in Leaden Skies

I can only presume that most of the population must have comforted themselves with excessive amounts of alcohol to try and negate the seemingly unremitting gloom that was aired throughout the holiday period.

Funding squeeze to continue for European financial services in 2012

The Ernst & Young Eurozone financial services forecast predicts that solvency will remain an acute concern throughout the region in 2012, despite the recent positive action taken by the European Central Bank.

10 Resolutions Bank Marketers Can’t Ignore in 2012

The biggest impact of all of this noise was that attention was diverted from what should have been accomplished in 2011. As

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” - View from PSigma

The start of a new year always brings resolutions that are unlikely to be maintained much further than mid-January.

Outlook 2012: Situation Stalemate

In early October 2011, Baker Tilly commissioned YouGov to conduct our ‘Outlook 2012’ survey of the opinions of business decision-makers.

Comment, Analysis & Research