News & Insights

We have all had different experiences in the past years, but 2020 will forever be the year that this generation will never forget.

From the extremely eventful year for stock markets to the US Election, I think it would be helpful to have a look at what happened throughout the year, as we finally turn the page and face 2021 with renewed hope.

January 2021: The Blacktower Financial Management Group of Companies today announces the appointment of Gavin Pluck as a Group Director. The news follows significant expansion to the brand’s global footprint and continued acceleration of its growth strategy, in the face of a challenging year.

Pluck joins Blacktower having resigned from his position as GWM Group Managing Director in February 2020, following the company’s acquisition by SkyBound Capital.

Originally launched by the UK Government as the Post Office Savings Bank in 1861, the NS&I provided the opportunity for both the public to save and as the government to fund the deficit. To encourage post war saving in 1956, Premium Savings Bonds were introduced - but not without some political and religious opposition. Despite the resistance, NS&I has since evolved into one the largest savings organisations in the UK and has approximately 25 million customers and more than £179 billion invested.

Throughout history, the month of August has usually been one where investors take a break and the financial markets lose some steam. However, 2020 is far from being an “usual” period in time, and the month of August recorded one of the most aggressive upward trends in some of the global stock markets indices.

Looking back to July, the S&P500 and the NASDAQ continued to shine when compared to its peers, registering some substantial gains in the month. Following this, August continued on this same path and we saw the S&P500 record a 7% gain in the month, while the NASDAQ soared 11%, in this period of usual calmness in the markets.

An interview given to Portuguese newspaper Público’s Pontos de Vista magazine, takes us to meet Manuela Robinson, Joint Country Manager of Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd, in the Algarve - Portugal. A woman in the financial industry, which is still very much male dominated, but she feels is changing. Meet our interviewee, a Leader who is determined and does not like to be a mere spectator, but likes to lead by example.

Cyprus, June 2020 – In the latest stage of its global growth plans, the Blacktower Group has announced today the complete licencing of its Cyprus entity, Blacktower Financial Management (Cyprus) Limited.

Previously, Blacktower’s EU operations have been based solely from Gibraltar, however following the vote for the UK to leave the EU back in 2016, the business sought to gain regulatory approval and licencing for both IDD and MiFID business in Cyprus.

The market crashed because people panicked, but their fears were exaggerated.

The market collapsed again because Covid-19 is the end of the world as we know it.

The markets came back because the US government agreed a 2-trillion relief package. Then they crashed because that wasn’t enough.