Helen Nugent

After a number of dicey days on the markets, UK shares are regaining some of the ground lost in the wake of the Brexit vote. The BBC reports that after increasing 2.6 per cent on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 share index opened up 1.6 per cent at 6,240.31. The FTSE 250 index rose 1.6 per cent in early

Despite the Chancellor’s efforts yesterday to calm the markets and soothe business fears, the pound hit a 31-year low against the dollar. There was more bad news when the UK lost its top AAA credit rating from S&P. The ratings agency said the the referendum result could lead to ‘a deterioration of the UK’s economic performance,

Without wishing to add to the hyperbole over Brexit (from both sides), it’s fair to say that Britain is all over the place today. From the temporary suspension of trading in Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays shares and sterling’s continued slide against the dollar, to the slump in the return on government bonds and a profit warning from easyJet,

When I lived in London, I was introduced to a whole new vocabulary. ‘Blinding’ was a new one on me (for instance, ‘that was a blinding goal’) as was Chalfont St. Giles (don’t ask). But perhaps the most sinister was ‘London bar’. Count your lucky stars if you don’t know the meaning of that last

Rents have reversed their Spring trajectory as a tide of homes to let bought before the April Stamp Duty surcharge have reached the private rented sector. According to the latest Buy-to-Let Index from letting agents Your Move and Reeds Rains, average rents for homes to let across England and Wales now stand at £792 a month. This represents

The Financial Conduct Authority has caved in to banks over payment protection insurance compensation by backing their call for a two-year deadline for new claims, according to internal documents published in The Times. The paper says this is the latest example of the city watchdog softening its stance with banks and comes after a public row over

Is cash king? Yes, according to a new study showing that money in best buy savings accounts has fared better than the stock market over most investment periods since 1995. It found that investments in tracker funds would have lost money up to a third of the time, the BBC reports. But cash in a savings

A levy could be added to bills to ensure that consumers do not lose out if their energy supplier goes bust under proposals put forward by Ofgem. With more than 40 firms now offering gas and electricity deals, the energy watchdog has warned of the danger of one becoming insolvent. At present anyone who is in credit with

I live in a world of Post-it notes. Yellow ones, blue ones, orange ones. They are everywhere. One day someone is going to find my wizened body beneath a mountain of these infernal things. Death by Post-it note. In a world where multi-tasking has become a full-time profession, the humble Post-it note is now an integral

Cracks are beginning to show in the new pension freedoms, hailed by the Chancellor as a ‘pensions revolution’. About 160,000 people have had to pay fees to access their pensions since these freedoms were introduced in April 2015, with some seeing more than 10 per cent of their retirement pot swallowed up by charges. The study by Citizens

Another day, another house price survey. Today’s research from chartered surveyors predicts that house prices are set to drop for the first time since 2012, as demand for property falls at its fastest rate in eight years. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) says there will be a short-term drop in UK house prices over the next three

It’s a phrase you don’t hear much these days: ‘civic pride’. And, if a new report is to be believed, it won’t be long before it goes out of fashion altogether. According to Britain at Home, a comprehensive bi-annual study commissioned by Lloyds Bank Insurance, more than half of UK homeowners live in neighbourhoods that

Here we go again. As the nation prepares itself for the glory and the pain of Euro 2016, supermarkets and DIY stores are readying themselves for a run on beer, crisps, pizzas and barbecues. And there’s the rub. While our natural inclination is to expect the worst on the field (and no Sir Geoff Hurst, I