Insights

Fund Management
The benefits of investing a company gratuity fund in the Middle East

In the Middle East, a company must pay a gratuity to each employee that leaves their position. As a result, most businesses will have a separate bank account with a gratuity reserve fund ready to be distributed as and when staff move on. There are a number of options when it comes to gratuity funds…

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Market Update
Weekly Market Update

Notable events over the last week Last week marked the official start of the Q3 earnings season and whilst the majority of reported earnings have beaten expectations many companies are wary of the headwinds which lie ahead. Of the 57 S&P 500 companies to have reported, 75% have beaten on EPS by an average of…

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Tax Planning
51 nations now in permanent tax evasion information exchange

Tax evasion is a subject that’s never far from the headlines, but there are a number of countries now working extremely hard to ensure that it is banished for good. 51 nations have signed up to the tax information exchange agreement across the world, however there are notable countries taking a far harder line than…

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Market Update
Notable events over the last week

Thursday saw the release of September’s FOMC meeting minutes which supported the committee’s decision to leave rates on hold for yet another month. All but one of the members voted against an increase and the minutes reiterated that ‘lift-off’ was dependant on future developments in the economy. Fed Vice-Chair Fischer highlighted the ‘considerable uncertainties’ around…

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Market Update
Weekly Market Update

UK equities contracted -2.7% in September (total return, Sterling terms), as markets experienced another month of sell-offs following a downbeat August. Once again risky assets succumbed to global emerging market growth concerns and tightening in global financial conditions. On a global scale, equity market returns in September (in local currency terms) were negative throughout, with…

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Market Update
End of September Review

The overall market scenario for the last week looks good in the developed economies, with the unemployment levels declining and the headline inflation touching almost zero. However, it is important to note here that global growth is weighed upon by the performance of developing economies.   In terms of the stock market performance for the…

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