On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market...

September was a bad month for stocks in general, but it was especially poor for UK REITs (real estate investment trusts), with 77% of the sector by market cap being derated according to analysts at Winterflood, leaving 24 out of 32 trusts down over nine months.With worries over the economy, discounts to NAV (net asset value) continuing to widen and retail investors exiting the sector in their...

In news that surprised everyone from shoppers to investors, general retailer Wilko announced in early August it had filed a 'notice of intention' to appoint administrators due to mounting cash pressures on the business.The firm, whose stores are a feature on most UK high streets, is reportedly losing market share to rivals such as B&M European Value (BME), Home Bargains and The...