Worldwide Financial Planning

Inflation running in double digits since September is very bad news, and when you add a strong employment market and private sector wages rising at more than 6% a year it is easy to see why markets are predicting further interest rate rises. Gilt yields extended their recent rise as investors now see rates increasing to 5% this year. But there are already strong signs that the UK’s economy is slowing down.

When you use a high street lender, you miss out on thousands of available rates, flexibilities and competitive fees available to a mortgage broker, that are just not available as you pop into the local bank.

While the market is easily fooled by headlines so too, unfortunately, are central banks. The true state of the economy won’t be clear for months so policy makers have to make do with the data they have, while the impact of today’s decisions won’t be apparent for another year.

The outlook hasn't really altered but investors are expecting both inflation and interest rates to remain higher for longer.

So start with learning from the past. Why didn’t other resolutions work and why did some actually succeed.

The imposition of new security laws on Hong Kong by China has eroded the territory's independence and looks set to end the 'one country, two systems' approach.