Finance

There are good rates out there for savers – especially those willing to tie money up for a whileIf you’ve done nothing with your savings in recent years – having assumed banks were paying terrible rates – it’s time to think again as interest rates have been rising...

Cash Isas are falling out of favour – but there are deals to be found if you can lock money awayIt’s tough for savers: the best-paying easy-access cash Isas – from Virgin Money and Leeds building society – pay just 1.21% interest. Meanwhile, official data earlier this month...

There’s a wealth of financial products out there – here’s how to choose the right ISAInvestors have under three weeks left to exploit this tax year’s £20,000 tax-free Isa allowance. Most opt for safe cash Isas, but investment Isas, with the money going into stocks and shares, offer greater...

The ‘innovative finance’ Isa is being hailed by some as the answer to years of miserable interest rates. We look at who’s offering them and how they workIt’s the new type of Isa offering returns of up to 12% – or perhaps even 20% in future. But are...

Study says 97% of population carry coins or notes after report warned of cash’s demiseCash is still king across large parts of the UK economy, with more than 80% of people in Britain saying they pay taxi drivers, newspaper sellers, window cleaners and gardeners with notes and coins, according...

An unwelcome bid from its former boss’s upstart rival could be short, sharp and painfulIn the unlovely world of subprime lending – a place of high interest rates for credit-impaired borrowers – an entertaining corporate scrap has broken out.In the establishment corner stands Provident Financial, whose directors, despite disappointing...

Bank urged to close loopholes allowing it to lend to projects in countries until 2023A group of powerful HSBC shareholders have written to the bank’s CEO, John Flint, urging him to close a loophole in its energy policy that allows the lender to bankroll coal projects in certain emerging markets.Investment management...

Trade imbalance rose to $621bn in 2018 despite new tariffsDeficit jumped 19% in December aloneThe US trade deficit hit a 10-year high in December, dealing a blow to Donald Trump’s efforts to restrict imports, especially from China, with protectionist trade tariffs.The gap between the goods US companies sell to...

Annual growth will fall below 1% for first time in decade even with a deal, says thinktankA no-deal Brexit would plunge the UK economy into recession and annual growth will slip below 1% this year for this first time since the financial crisis even if a deal is secured, the Organisation...

Wall Street bank makes firm-wide decision because of ‘changing nature of workplaces’Goldman Sachs has relaxed its dress code, allowing its bankers to swap their bespoke suits for a more casual look.The change was signalled by the new chief executive of the US investment bank, David Solomon, a veteran banker who also...