Your Daily News
Tom Williams
Tom Williams Wealth Management, Partner Practice of St. James's Place Wealth Management. Helping you to make the most of tax & investment planning
Tom Williams
Wealth Manager (DipFS)
Helping you make the most of the tax saving and investment opportunities available before the end of the tax year.
Your Daily News
My daily interpretation of what’s happening around the world, enjoy.
Quote of the day:
“Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth."
Todays News
World:
- Iceland's ruling coalition has named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson as the new PM, with early elections to be held in the autumn.
- Laws in the US states of Delaware, Nevada and Wyoming have made it easy for corporations to create shell companies there to avoid higher taxes in their own states, experts say.
- One of the men who carried out the devastating bomb attacks in Brussels once worked as a cleaner at the European Parliament, officials say.
- French MPs have passed a law that makes it illegal to pay for sex and imposes fines of up to €3,750 (￡3,027, $4,274) for those buying sexual acts.
- The foreign ministry in Madrid has summoned France's ambassador after French farmers seized Spanish lorries and drained their cargo of wine.
- Cyprus has agreed to extradite to Egypt the man accused of hijacking an airliner last week, reports say.
- Netherlands 'rejects' EU-Ukraine partnership deal.
- The government is spending more than ￡9m on sending a leaflet to every UK household setting out the case for remaining in the European Union.
- A copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, printed in 1623 and one of the most sought-after books in the world, has been discovered in a stately home on a Scottish island.
- A chair that author JK Rowling sat on while writing the first two Harry Potter books has sold at a New York auction for nearly $400,000 (￡283,000).
London:
- Too many children are being incorrectly diagnosed with asthma, with inhalers being dispensed for no good reason and becoming almost "fashion accessories", say two specialists in the illness.
- A lavish interpretation of Verdi's Aida, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, has won recording of the year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards.
- Work has started to rebuild the world's first purpose-built racing circuit following an additional ￡1m government grant.
- The final six members of a gang have been jailed for masterminding the theft of artefacts worth up to ￡57m from museums and an auction house.
Todays Sports News
- The Big Issue is marking 200 million sales since its launch in 1991.
- Kathryn Sargent has become the first female master tailor to open a shop on London's historic Savile Row.
- Two people have been arrested in London over links to a Turkish terror group.
- A detective from the Met's financial crimes unit has been charged with stealing ￡58,000 from 11 people.
- Record ￡120,000 fine for Surrey-based pub company showing Sky Sports illegally
Todays News from the Past
30 Scholars' estimate for Jesus' crucifixion by Roman troops in Jerusalem.
529 First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in jurisprudence) issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I.
1724 Johann Sebastian Bach's "St John Passion" premieres in Leipzig.
1954 US President Eisenhower in news conference first to voice fear of a "domino-effect" of communism in Indo-China.
1969 The Internet's symbolic birth date: publication of RFC 1.
1999 The World Trade Organisation rules in favor of the United States in its long-running trade dispute with the European Union over bananas.
Williams Wealth Management
Investment Market Update
UK stocks are expected to open higher this morning, with attention fixed on central bankers in the US and Europe. Last night, minutes were released from the latest Federal Reserve meeting, showing that the committee were split on any interest rate rise. Later today, the European Central Bank will release its minutes and Mario Draghi will speak publicly.
World Markets
- Most Asian stocks climbed, while US stocks rose the most in almost a month, as Federal Reserve minutes affirmed that policy makers aren’t in a hurry to raise interest rates amid persistent concerns about slowing growth abroad. The Japanese yen advanced to a 17-month high as Japanese officials’ expressed concern over the strength of the currency, while the dollar fell with US Treasuries. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rebounded from a two-day selloff with health-care shares rallying.
- Gains in commodity producers pushed the UK’s FTSE 100 Index higher for the second time in three sessions. Anglo American Plc and BHP Billiton Ltd. rose more than 1.6%. Shire Plc rose 2.7% as Bank of America Corp. said it may become an acquisition target if new US tax proposals fully derailed a deal between Pfizer Inc. and Allergan Plc. Banks also advanced, with Barclays Plc and Standard Chartered Plc up at least 1.5%.
Headlines
- This morning, Marks & Spencer Group Plc reported that clothing sales fell less than analysts expected as it marked down fewer items, an early lift for new Chief Executive Officer Steve Rowe, whose job is to stem a four-year decline in that business.
- Pfizer Inc. has been thwarted for the second time in less than two years in its pursuit of a transformative, tax-powered deal to position the biggest US drugmaker for long-term growth. Pfizer and Allergan Plc officially walked away from their $160 billion merger on Tuesday, an abrupt end to what would have been the largest-ever deal in the pharmaceutical industry. It’s also a turning point in the election-cycle debate in the US over corporate tax avoidance.
Market Data
Kind regards,
Wealth Manager
St. James's Place Wealth Management
117 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7JU
W: www.williamswealthmanagement.co.uk
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