Expats’ EHIC-Style Rights Guarantee a Step Closer

Interest rates finally rose above 0.5 per cent in August – almost a decade after the emergency cut to that level. The Bank of England’s MPC voted to raise rates to 0.75 per cent on 2^nd August, casting aside worries over a no-deal Brexit, as it said that low unemployment merited a hike to keep inflation on target.

The 9-0 vote to raise rates was accompanied by a quarterly Inflation Report, which showed that, despite August’s hike, the market outlook was for rates to go up more slowly over the next three years than previously expected and that no further move is expected until at least the middle of next year. The recent rate rise was widely expected as the Bank had not sent out any signals to dampen forecasts of a hike, unlike in the run-up to the May decision when a move up failed to happen. The question now is whether this is a one-off hike, or the start of a slow but steady rise in interest rates. A lot will depend on how the British economy fares over the rest of this year and into 2019, before the UK’s exit from the EU. If there is a marked slowdown then it is likely that rates will stall again. Even worse, a recession would most likely see a further interest rate cut. 

This week we put the Spotlight On…Rosemary Sheppard who is a Blacktower International Financial Adviser in France, based in the Dordogne.

Rosemary’s career in the financial services sector began in 2008 when she signed up for what she initially imagined would be a “regular 9 to 5 job” at a bank. However, in the wake of that year’s global banking crisis, Rosemary re-evaluated her professional priorities and realised that the best way she could help clients in the difficult financial climate of the time would be to climb the career ladder to a position of influence. She was further excited by working under a new set of regulations that would offer clients an unprecedented level of extra protections.