Member Info for TheFarEnd

EU - 47.3

France - 46.4

Germany - 45.4

UK - 51.2

You lucky people.

“Although the mood music in the City suggests that interest rates are coming down sooner rather than later – maybe even before the July 4 Election – providers of consumer credit don’t seem to be listening.

The latest lender to join this bandwagon is Lloyds Bank. It has just written to bank account customers across its key brands (Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds), informing them of impending changes to the interest charged for authorised borrowing. Not everyone will pay more.

The current interest charge is typically 39.9 per cent, although some customers such as those with Club Lloyds accounts pay 27.5 per cent.

Under the new tiered pricing regime, some customers will pay less – 19.9 or 29.9 per cent. Others could pay the same (39.9 per cent) or more (49.9 per cent). The 27.5 per cent Club Lloyds rate will disappear.”

From This is money, undated this morning.

Apologies if posted already.

What would consolidation achieve heardy?

Care to expand on that.

The current director of the Resolution Foundation, Torsten Bell, has been selected as Labour candidate for Swansea West this afternoon. He was told that Starmer’s team were desperate to have him.

Bell from the Resolution Foundation released a landmark report in December called “A New Economic Strategy for Britain“....TAKE NOTE.

Make everyone pay inheritance tax by scrapping the nil-rate band.

Raise Capital Gains Tax on shares to 37% and real estate to 53%.

Charge Capital Gains Tax on death and when moving out of the UK.

Slashing VAT registration threshold to £30,000.

Scrap business and agricultural property reliefs.

Hike basic rate of Dividend tax from 8.75% to 20%.

Charge national insurance on rental income.

Hike national insurance for higher self-employed incomes by 300% to 8%.

Cut the £270,000 cap on tax-free pensions to £40,000.

Introduce pay-per-mile road duty for electric vehicles.

Scrap the 5p cut in fuel duty. Increase fuel duty by 2% every year.

Hike vehicle excise duty for heavier cars.

At the same time Bell was arguing that ISAs should be abolished because they “work for the top“.

His underlings at the Resolution Foundation have gone on to staff high-level positions at the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Meanwhile, Reeves pledges to hand the keys to the Treasury to the OBR.

Draw your own conclusions.

Btw, labour hasn't got any policies and the idiots are talking about a manifesto, they're busy trying to get the wording right on that one. The innocence of youth, you'll learn, but by that time you will all be gone or back with yet another identity.

It's where the money is going that counts.

“Latest figures from the Bank of England today show that households squirrelled away £11.7billion into tax-free ISAs in April, almost certainly mostly in the frenzy up to midnight on April 5, the highest for any month since records began in 1999.”

If it comes about, how long before the eye of the new regime at the Treasury and the debut Rachel Reeves Budget this autumn gets their hands on some of it?

Nothing will be safe.

The wheels are starting to fall off the labour bandwagon.

There's one thing worse than a leader it's a dithering leader. Even Abbott, the mathematical genius has him on the ropes.

Popcorn all round.

“Former Bolton North East Tory MP Logan tells the BBC his application to join Labour is “going in today“. Nice timing”

Re: Mark Logan…Get the whole story, you won't find it at the BBt.

“He's been lobbying No.10 for a peerage, so he didn’t have to bother with voters and has now jumped ship. People will reach their own conclusions as to his motivations.”

Watch this space.

Global investors are changing their minds about Britain.

The British pound rose significantly against the euro on Wednesday, reaching its highest level since August 2022.

This milestone marks a notable recovery for the pound amidst ongoing economic fluctuations.

Central banks of the US, Europe and the United Kingdom have been traumatised by the great inflation crisis of 2021-22. The combination of unprecedented supply and demand shocks fuelled a once-in-a-generation surge in consumer prices, catching policymakers off guard.

Their models failed to capture the so-called structural breaks in real time. As a result, central bankers have lost confidence in their capacity to forecast inflation, and have become more data-dependent and backward-looking in their reaction function.

And there was me thinking it was a result of the last 14 years of the UK government.

You're all being brainwashed, well the idiots amongst us.

Talking about dead cat gimmicks mick-b (one half of the new chuckle brothers) how about these from your hero….

It started September 2020 with “under new management.” followed quickly in January 2021 with ‘Secure, Protect, Rebuild’ and hastily next month, February 2021 a ‘New Chapter for Britain’

Next, running out of slogans, he borrowed one from Hillary Clinton ‘Stronger Together’ another disaster.

That same year in September he wrote a 14000 word mission statement with, wait for it, no policies.

It's now January 2022 and we have ‘security, prosperity, respect’.

Within a few months it's changed to ‘On your side’

Can you see a pattern developing here?

Following the last failed policy blitz came the next one. Pitching himself as the ‘candidate of optimism’

It's now February 2023 and yet more pledges This reset promised ‘the highest growth in the G7, making the NHS fit for the future, making streets safer, breaking down barriers to opportunity, and making Britain a clean energy superpower’.

March 2023 yet more. This time it's ‘Build a better Britain’ Starmer’s had more launches than Cape Canaveral.

October 2023 – Starmer the Chameleon changes his ‘five missions for Britain’ Gone is the highest growth in the G7 (Sunak has already achieved that) and in comes Labour's new, new first mission to ‘get Britain building again’

January 2024 – The Labour leader uses his new year speech to switch from growth to change.

And now May 2024 he’s got a pledge card. 😂 He promises to ‘deliver economic stability’ and, er, ‘cut NHS waiting times.’ Truly, riveting stuff.

And that is how the socialist beguiled all the dumbo's of this country.

He doesn't fool me, but he's obviously fooling the thickos and the feckless.

The thickos won't be able to read this, it's too many words for them, you know who you are. The other half of the new chuckle brothers. 😂

Beavis and Butthead, Statler and Waldorf or the new chuckle brothers, take your pick.

I was beginning to get a bit worried with one half of this comedy duo talking rubbish by himself. Never fear the other half has arrived.

We had a similar situation north of the border with the

Gazzleberry and machiismo partnership, what happened to those two jokers.

Enjoy your bank holiday weekend.

“Worse than expected (2.1%) and is likely to delay the onset of interest rate cut.”

You can't be a miserable pessimistic socialist all your life mick-b, take a day off.

Enjoy the ride before Starmer gets elected and if he does I'll understand your outlook.🙂

A second City investment has said now is the time to buy UK shares as pension funds have “nothing left to sell”.

According to analysts at HSBC (LON:HSBA): “The long-term structural overhang of UK pension fund selling is at an end” and now represents a “golden opportunity” to buy.

In fact, the bank now expects the selling trend to reverse due to political pressure and for money to start to move back into UK equities.

Holdings of UK funds by pension funds have dropped from 53% in 1997 to around 4% currently and the bank said this percentage is now so small that any further sales would hardly make a difference.

The bank’s forecast of where Footsie will end the year has also been increased to 8,750 from 8,100.

Well they couldn't keep saying 8100 could they.

This bit made me chuckle....

Even if Labour wins the next election HSBC is bullish it says as this would remove uncertainty for potential roadblock investors in the UK.

UK inflation has fallen to 2.3% - just above the target of 2% - the lowest level in almost three years.

Ww,

I think it's the words you used to express yourself.

The FTSE doesn't drag anything down, it's driven.

Just saying.

"shares often follow FTSE trend"

And here's me thinking the indices are a result of the share performance!

“The global financial agency stressed that ambitious structural reforms to improve living standards “are urgently needed” ahead of a general election later this year.”

What is it with these agencies, we have the WHO, trying to take over lockdowns and making vaccines compulsory in the event of any future pandemic. And now the IMF is preaching reforms to democratically elected governments.

Everyone is trying to extend their brief.

Recession being predicted over the pond.

No worries we've already had ours.

Btw, did anyone notice it.

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-economy-outlook-recession-unemployment-lazar-states-inflation-wealth-spending-2024-5

Managed v tracker.

Trouble is Gunsup so many don't check on their financial affairs, especially pensions. It's something in the background that only comes to the foreground with advancing years.

I know it's addressed to Lti, however.....

Chid, as posted to you before, this will be your exit price, dividends will be your bonus for the wait. What's the problem? 🙂

https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator