Markets

Standard Life Investments (SLI) announced today it has completed its takeover of Ignis Asset Management following regulatory approval.

Talk about an impending interest rate hike is building in the UK, despite recent mixed messages from Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. However, one of the UK's leading investors, Neil Woodford, is not expecting an imminent rise, and these three charts...

Two-thirds of UK fund managers believe interest rates will rise before the second half of 2015, despite the more cautious tone set most recently by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, a study has found.

DEFENSIVE STOCKS

The Conservatives are said to be planning to merge national insurance into income tax in a major shake-up of the current tax system.

The outgoing Bank of England (BoE) deputy governor Sir Charlie Bean has said it is "reasonable" to expect interest rates to return to 5% within a decade.

Asian markets were mixed overnight ahead of a busy week data-wise, with the impact of Japan's sales tax introduced earlier this year keeping a lid on gains.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has said the 'new normal' for interest rates in the UK will be around 2.5%, a level he predicted they may reach by 2017.

SW Mitchell Capital's Stuart Mitchell, manager of the SWMC European fund, highlights three investment themes he noted following meetings with management teams at European companies.

UK shares held on to modest gains this morning after the final reading for UK GDP growth in the first quarter was held at 0.8%.