New Year’s resolutions over the Christmas period

The festive period seemed to start early this year with Christmas music played in stores from the middle of November. It seems to indicate that people are starting their Christmas preparations well in advance – or certainly that the shops would like them to.

As we go into the Christmas break and towards the period of New Year, many of us look at what other preparations we need to put in place and we want to achieve in the year ahead.

There is always a surge of people wanting to move house in ...

• £435m more funding to cut NHS waiting times, improve mental health services and women's health.
• £175m to invest in NHS infrastructure and digital technology.
• £25m of funding to repair and monitor coal tips.
• £81m more capital funding to build more homes for social rent.
• Over £100m for a package of improvements to the education budget.
• Transport receives the largest uplift of any department, with 12% in revenue.
• £3.7m to accelerate planning decisions and digitise planning services.
• £52m to maintain Wales’ road network – fixing pothole...

Here’s a review of how some of the key events from the past twelve months have impacted markets.

1. Dec-23: Markets ended the year positively in the US, UK and Europe. Investor optimism is growing, fuelled by held interest rates and expectations of cuts in 2024. China’s economic woes continue as it yet again slipped into deflation.

2. Jan-24: Investors reassess their expectations for interest rates as central banks warn against early interest rate cuts. Bonds fell in value, while stock market returns varied led by Japanese equities deliver...

Why mortgage rates don’t always drop when the base rate does?

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is the group responsible for setting the bank base rate (BBR). This interest rate influences the cost of borrowing for banks and the rates they offer on loans, mortgages and savings, all with the ultimate aim of helping to control inflation.

When the committee meets roughly every six weeks, all eyes are on its decision. Based on a large number of factors in the UK economy and also abroad, the MPC will decide whether to raise,...