Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) regulations are due for another tightening up as the government announces a series of proposed changes due to take affect during 2013. The changes are mostly administrative issues for scheme managers and are laid out in draft legislation and guidance notes that are open for consultation until June 21, […]
US House Prices Are Building Up, Say Realtors
May 30, 2013
Real estate sales and prices in the US are on the up but tight credit and limited inventory are holding back demand, says the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Their index reveals that most regions in America have seen strong price gains compared to a year ago and sales have increased by 0.6% to nearly […]
Latvian House Price Crash Blamed On Russian Speculators
April 27, 2013
Russian property speculators are blamed for Latvia’s boom and bust housing market. Latvia enjoyed years of double digit growth in house prices until the market began to weaken in 2007. That’s when prices dropped by 5% on the year previously before crashing by 30% in 2008 and then by an astonishing 42% in 2009. There […]
Kiwi Investors See Venture Capital Deals Dive By 80%
April 23, 2013
Activity in New Zealand’s venture captail and private equity markets fell off a cliff last year to record just a fifth of the amount spent the year before. There were just 62 private equity deals worth £61.5 million in 29012, compared to £306 million in 2011. The figures come from the country’s Private Equity and […]
Danger Signs As Swiss Property Market Bubbles Along
April 23, 2013
Fears are rising that the booming real estate market in Switzerland is over-heating after the government stepped in with cooling measures. With strong demand for residential property coupled with historic low interest rates on mortgages, the strong seller’s market looks set to continue through 2013. Even with the cooling measures in place, property analysts are […]
Euro FATCA To Crackdown On Tax Cheats
April 22, 2013
Europe’s big five have pledged to crackdown on tax evasion by setting up a US FATCA-style information exchange. Here is a link to the IRS FATCA page Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Italy have initialled the deal, which will be ready to go in just a few months. The change is tax and financial information […]
India Regulates Financial Advice After Fraud Scandals
April 22, 2013
Fraud and poor advice standards have forced a crackdown on financial advisors in India. All financial advisors will have to register with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and will have to take out a licence to trade. Registered investment advisors will have to display a certificate of registration, although some, such as […]
