Alliance & Leicester has become the first UK bank to offer same day funds for unsecured loans to both new and existing customers.
Paying off costly store cards, booking a long-overdue holiday or buying the car of your dreams can now be done in a matter of hours. It could be the first step on the […]

ABN AMRO Asset Management has said that 2008 should be the year of emerging markets, particularly in Asia.
 David Kiddie, CIO Equities at ABN AMRO, said: “There is a lot of market talk about risk aversion, fear and gloom, but that can also provide opportunities when investing in equities.”He sees the best opportunities in the emerging […]

Execution-only broker TD Waterhouse has released a list of the sectors and companies that were singled out as hotspots by retail investors in 2007.
Partygaming, the world’s biggest listed online poker and gaming group saw strong trading activity this year, as 2007’s top sell and second most popular buy. Partygaming, which is incorporated in Gibraltar and […]

Almost 1 in 5 Brits have received bad financial advice from their friends and family, according to research from Birmingham Midshires.As part of its Not So Average Joe campaign, the specialist mortgage provider polled more than 2,000 Brits on the consequences of taking advice from friends and family.
The study found that 16% of those polled […]

Millions of shoppers are leaving their Christmas shopping to the last minute with over 19 million people planning to hit the shops on Christmas Eve.

Research by Sainsbury’s Credit Cards indicates that 46% of adults intend to do some of their Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, spending around £2.14bn. This is equivalent to £89.1m an hour […]

A study released by TNS reveals that UK retailers have succeeded in putting almost three quarters of consumers off Christmas this year.
Around 70% of people surveyed said that the early Autumn start to Christmas TV advertising and in-store promotions is “annoying”, and feel “fed-up” with Christmas before December even starts.
Christmas advertising and decorations are seen […]

Despite softening global economic growth, HSBC Investments has predicted stock markets will rise modestly in 2008, but not by a significant margin.
Roger Noddings, chief investment officer at HSBC Investments, has said that world economic growth will slow during 2008, but that a recession is not on the cards. Emerging markets will continue to outperform […]

The latest research from Callcredit, a credit reference agency, has shown more than 1.1 million retired UK homeowners have an outstanding mortgage averaging £38,000.
Callcredit also found one in eight people in this age group owe more than £50,000 on their mortgage, putting increased pressure on retirement income.
The situation is little better for those with […]