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These disappointing figures fuelled speculation that interest rates will not rise until 2016 at the earliest having been frozen at 0.5 per cent since March 2009.

The expectation that rates will stay lower for longer has been encouraged by the low-inflation environment. The UK March consumer prices index rate of inflation stayed at the 0 per cent recorded in February – despite forecasts falling petrol prices and the supermarket price war would turn the rate negative.

The impact of very low interest rates continues to reverberate around the financial system. For example bond markets are showing signs of increasing volatility and can no longer be relied to be either a safe haven or a predictor of economic activity. Companies are buying back shares using cheap loans rather than investing for the future, whilst certain badly run hedge funds are taking excessive risks with borrowed money and leaving their investors with the downside when things go wrong.

With little hope for savers that their money will earn them a good rate of interest sitting in a Bank, or invested in government bonds, be it in the UK or Europe , now is the time to speak to the investment specialists at Blacktower. We are here to help you find the right solution to make your money work for YOU.

by Christina Brady, Regional Manager Costa Blanca

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

Other News

The ‘wheres’ and the whys of UK expats in Europe

As we hurtle towards the EU referendum and are being deluged with information about the whys and wherefores of Brexit or Bremain, Blacktower takes a look at what matters to us: the UK expats whose futures, whatever the outcome of the vote, are very much determined by the quality of their expat financial advice.

Just how many British expats are there in Europe?

Well, data published by the Office of National Statistics shows – although not completely reliably, we feel – that there are around 1.2 million British expats within the EU (some estimates put this figure as high as 2 million).

The vast majority of these live in tried, tested and sun-drenched destinations such as Spain and France. But before you start thinking that expats just move away purely in search of a sunnier climate, think again; the third most popular destination is Ireland (150 days of rainfall a year compared to the UK’s 133).

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The triple lock remains after Tory-DUP deal… but for how long?

Open padlockConcerns that the triple lock system is on its last legs are not new. But while the triple lock’s future has looked tenuous for a while, it has managed to survive the deal between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Union Party.

The Tories had previously planned to get rid of the triple lock – a mechanism to ensure the state pension rises either by the rate of inflation, wage growth, or by 2.5% (whichever is highest) every year – in 2020, replacing it with a double lock (which would remove the 2.5% element). But losing a parliamentary majority has caused the party to make a U-turn (probably because the DUP were strong supporters of the system staying put), and there was no mention of the triple-lock’s abolition in the Queen’s Speech.

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