'We got it WRONG on Brexit': Bank of England admits it was too pessimistic

The central bank cut interest rates to a new low of 0.25 per cent in August and warned the UK 'is likely to see little growth' in the second half of 2016 following the Leave vote. But in a dramatic climbdown yesterday, deputy governor Ben Broadbent said there was 'little doubt' the economy has performed 'somewhat more strongly' than predicted just two months ago.

The IMF's top financial enforcer, Peter Dattels, revealed yesterday that 'one third of the system representing $8.5trillion remains weak and unable to generate sustainable profits'.

Best yielding stocks in FTSE 100 look too good to last as dividend cover wears thin for

In an ideal world dividend cover should work out at  times earnings or more, but latest research from AJ Bell shows many FTSE 100 firms have fallen short. The broker said that currently the average dividend cover for the FTSE 100 is just 1.47 and for the ten highest yielders it is even lower at 1.22. These include some established household names such as Shell, BP, Pearson and Marks & Spencer.

The card gave 3 per cent cashback on travel spending, 2 per cent at department stores and 1 per cent at supermarkets, up to £3 each month. Existing customers can use the card as normal.

For 30 years, Marian and Stephen Mortimer, pictured, had dreamed of visiting Machu Picchu. Stephen died while in South America and his widow was left with a shock bill.

The traditional advice when you have a large sum of money is to get rid of debt - including credit cards, loans and your mortgage. But that dates back to a time when rates were much higher

Sterling at one point slipped below $1.270 for the first time since June 1985, and at €1.131 marked a five-year low against the single currency.

Like
MailOnline

Follow
@MailOnline

Premium Bonds winners

October 2016
Prize value Winning bond No. Area
£1,000,000 276AV278339 Essex
£1,000,000 215XY865796 Staffordshire
£100,000 259ZN414297 Dorset
£100,000 141CJ661353 Derbyshire
£100,000 138HB024467 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
£50,000 2VR747799 Greater Manchester
£50,000 241QS845329 Hertfordshire
£50,000 206GW792012 Sheffield
£50,000 103WK587629 Reading
£25,000 92NE335986 Overseas
£25,000 86GW534216 Cheshire West and Chester
More Premium Bonds winners
   

DON'T MISS

MARKET REPORT: Three bidders join battle for £1bn takeover of London private equity firm

Goldman Sachs and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have made a joint offer to buy the business, which is already being fought over by two other suitors. SVG said it was urgently examining the Goldman and Canadian plans but did not say how much cash was on the table. Bidding was kicked off by US firm HarbourVest last month, when it made a surprise £1bn offer for SVG after building up an 8.5 per cent stake in the company.

The PM's comments risk conflict between Downing Street and the Bank of England an issue which we all thought was settled when the Bank gained is operational independence in 1997.

The upmarket furnishings and fragrance company, which was founded by Lady Annabel Astor, saw sales increase more than 12 per cent to £23.8m in the 52 weeks to January 23.

The Financial Conduct Authority watchdog said there was insufficient oversight on US financier Citi which managed some tasks for the insurance giant's OpenWealth service.

The pound dropped to $1.2686 in early trading - a level last seen in 1985 - but later recovered to $1.2771. Sterling has been under pressure since the Brexit vote.

She's in preliminary talks, I am told, with a Chinese fashion house about launching her own homeware range. Surely a clothing line would be a more marketable option.

How to boost your savings rate to 5% with regular savings plans and Help To Buy cash Isas

Typically, workers saving for a house, wedding or holiday use their bank's standard savings account. But these now pay next to nothing.

It might look like car salesmen bagged plenty of commission last month with new vehicle registrations hitting a record high in September but private sales were down almost two per cent.

When you search for these services on Google, as many as four of the top entries on the first page of the search results are copycats that imitate official websites. So how do you avoid the scam?

The salesmen offering investors 40% returns on burial plots

Birmingham-based Harley Investments is currently marketing an East London Jewish cemetery as a prime spot for your cash, claiming you'll get 40 per cent returns within just two years. Harley's operation's director Gerard Gordon (inset left) and financial director Patrick Johnson (inset right) are both linked to a number of companies that sold investments in luxury allotment plots on a piece of farm land in Warwickshire (top left).

I worked for London Transport's computer department. When it was taken over by a private company in 1987, I was given the option of leaving my pension where it was or transferring it out.

I'm sure you've noticed that most firms now advertise millions of pounds of cover for unexpected medical bills, knowing full well that the likelihood of your submitting such a large claim is almost nil.

My ex-husband remarried but died without making a new will - who inherits?

My husband and I made joint wills. We are divorced and he remarried three years ago. He has recently passed away and didn't make a will with his new wife. I made no changes to my will and I only have my ex-husband's copy. Is the will valid?

The rate on Lloyds's Instant Saver and Instant Cash Isa will fall from 0.25 per cent to 0.05 per cent from December 8. So will the rate on the Halifax Instant Saver and Instant Isa Saver.

Most lenders do not allow landlords to let their properties to a close family member because they fear it is more difficult to evict a family member who fails to pay rent.

Prudential stalls savers using pension freedom cash to clear debts

Savers with Prudential are only allowed to use new freedoms to dip into their pension pot regularly if they pay to see a financial adviser. Many customers who want a so-called drawdown policy pay for a visit from one of Prudential's own advisers, whom it dubs the 'man from the Pru' and some are blocking clearing debt.

Churchill fiver sells for £4,150 at Bank of England charity auction

The note carries the serial number AA01 000017, making it the lowest available to the public according to auctioneers Spink. It had carried an estimate of £1,200 previous to the auction. The £5 note was lot one at the event being held in London. The next lot, with serial number AA01 000018, sold for £2,400 - some £1,700 above the estimate.

Just one in three on track to achieve their desired retirement income

Just three in 10 adults feel they are either very or fairly confident they are on track to achieve the level income they want to see them through their retirement. An insight into savers' concerns that they will not have enough money for their pension years, has been revealed in a survey of retirement confidence across the country.

Should I remortgage my buy-to-lets early to escape mortgage crackdown?

I've just remortgaged one of my buy-to-let properties with The Mortgage Works who told me that far from needing my rent to cover my mortgage by an extra 25 per cent, it now needs to cover it by an extra 45 per cent.  The change really threw me and meant that I ended up putting in extra equity to the property to pull the loan-to-value and rate down.  I have four other buy-to-lets, all of which are due to be remortgaged fairly imminently but I am still in the period where I'll need to pay early repayment charges to remortgage now. 

The Property Ombudsman had to step in and resolve 3,304 complaints against estate agents and letting agents last year, according to its latest annual figures.

Launched in January 2014, the scheme was designed to give a much-needed shot in the arm to mortgage lending to buyers with small deposits. But the bandage is due to come off.

The London Edition £250k Overfinch Range Rover emblazoned with landmarks

Called the London Edition, each of the four Overfinch Range Rovers is detailed with landmarks like The Houses of Parliament, The Shard, London Eye, Gherkin, Tower Bridge and 22 Bishopsgate. It's not cheap, though - in fact, it's more than twice the price of the standard Range Rover Autobiography it's based on.

Forces confirmed they had confiscated in excess of 22,594 vehicles by mid-June, with 2,866 of these being sold at auction for a total of £1.4m.

A yellow box junction camera at Bagley's Lane, pictured, Fulham has pocketed a staggering £2.4m over the last 18 months and 12m in seven years, according to a BBC investigation.

What's it like to live in Reading?

Reading is a commuter haven due to its 30 minute train journey into London. But this south east city offers more than just cheaper house prices than the capital. There is a vibrant River Thames scene, an established shopping centre and excellent schools. It has also become a tech hub outside of London.

Britain's biggest independent energy supplier, which has emerged as the most serious challenge to 'the big six', saw pre-tax profits tumble to £1.7million last year

TalkTalk is to scrap separate line rental charges across all its packages as it looks to revamp its image a year on from the major data breach which rocked the telecoms firm.

'The falling pound is helping Britain's economy and stimulating investment,' Bank of

Bank of England deputy governor Ben Broadbent claims the weakening value of the pound is aiding Britain's economic growth. At a speech in London hosted by the Wall Street Journal, Broadbent said sterling's depreciation had 'supported the economy' by stimulating investment activity. The Bank's policymaker said there was 'little doubt' the country's economy had fared better than many analyst surveys expected after June's Brexit vote.

Brexiters are crowing that all three of the main share indices - the FTSE 100, the FTSE 250 and the FTSE SmallCap index - all went through their previous highs yesterday.

Revenues at BDO rose 3.8pc to £405m in its last financial year, and profits were up 22pc at £80.3m. The firm's partners will split this between them, taking home an average £360,000 each.

The supermarket's strategy of dropping prices helped it boost sales growth by 1 per cent, but half year profits still fell by 28.3 per cent to £71million.

Sterling hit a 31-year low against the dollar of $1.2721 and a five year low against the Euro of €1.1364 - taking losses since the Brexit vote to more than 14 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.

Summit Therapeutics shares double on news it won the rights to an exclusive drug

Shares nearly doubled in their best day since 2009, after it revealed it was teaming up with US rival Sarepta Therapeutics to develop and market a specialist drug in Europe. The licence allows the Aim-listed company to sell an experimental treatment for muscle wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Audioboom, which hosts podcasts listened to more than 50m times a month, was hoping to announce a £6.3m cash injection by the end of September.

TalkTalk been handed a record £400,000 fine for security failings over a cyber attack which allowed customer data to be accessed 'with ease', said the Information Commissioner's Office.

Singer Ellie Goulding, left, and model Karlie Kloss are among the thousands of celebrities who have flocked to Soho House in London, for two decades the epitome of louche British cool.

The business was hit by tough global conditions, with the international market for construction equipment down 14.2 per cent in 2015.

Siemens UK boss Juergen Maier, whose firm employs 13,000 British workers, has been hobnobbing in Birmingham at the Tory conference.

SVG Capital said it wanted to 'maximise cash returns to shareholders' as it revealed Pomona Capital and Pantheon Ventures were paying £379million for 50 per cent of its investment portfolio.

'I bought property, the stock market is for mugs,' says Richard E. Grant as the star talks

Hollywood actor Richard E. Grant has never borrowed any money for fear of not being able to pay it back. Grant, who shot to fame in 1987 for his role as Withnail in cult film Withnail & I, says 1988 was the best year of his life financially and he made more money that year than he had ever dreamt possible.

For many investors, it seems that the genuine possibility of a Donald Trump presidential administration in the US is a worrying thought. But could there be a silver lining?

The pro-EU politician and his Europhile Spanish wife - who has just snagged a well-paid post on the board of Swiss bank UBS - are in line to reap enormous personal profit from Brexit.

Get free expert help with your investing, saving and finances in the Money Pit Stop

Wedding pots, retirement income, university fees -  everyone has financial goals they are working towards. Our new column offers you the chance to have your portfolio looked over by experts - who can suggest changes to help realise your ambitions.

Insurers are starting to win the battle against false personal injury claims, including whiplash. But there are questions over whether £1billion in savings are being passed on to honest customers.

The 10 fastest accelerating cars you can buy now

To be the best, you've got to beat the rest. And these 10 cars do just that - not only do they stop the clock from 0 to 60mph in under three seconds, but they also beat every other car on the planet in the benchmark acceleration dash. Clockwise from top left: BAC Mono, Bugatti Chiron, Lamborghini Aventador, Caterham 620R

TONY HETHERINGTON: My premium bond wins are missing, can you help?

Last March, I was persuaded to have any winnings from my premium bonds paid straight into my bank account. This worked for the month of April, but winnings since then have not arrived. This has made me wonder how many other people have not received their prizes. They would only know if they regularly check their bank statements and the record of winning numbers.

I retired in May 2015. While sorting through old documents, I came across a 1968 letter confirming the offer of a job with insurance broker Bain in Leeds.

I received an email from Metro Options Limited about investing in binary options. The email says a realistic earning potential on a £10,000 investment is £1,000 to £2,000 per week.

Should investors worry about the US election, banks and a hard Brexit?

Investors are carefully eyeing up the prospects for the US election, while also worrying about European banks and a 'hard Brexit'. Do they need to be concerned? On the latest Investing Show we take a look at the trends of the past year, the outlook for the future and how to invest for it.

Do you have an old Beano? Then you have an investment that could be worth £20k

Blimey! The value of old Beano comics is soaring as nostalgic investors snap up comic strip jolly japes they first enjoyed in their childhood. Last week, publisher DC Thomson launched a Beano website to complement the comic - enabling young fans to also read about Dennis the Menace and The Bash Street Kids on smartphones and tablets.

We look at the key questions facing customers as they seek safeguards for their holidays - and analyse the protections offered by ATOL.

Three quarters of the UK's train companies are failing to tell customers when they are entitled to compensation. The Consumer Rights Act was extended on Saturday to cover the rail industry.

Should you ditch a property fund that locked away your cash? The three choices investors

Funds shut their doors at the end of June amid fears the Brexit vote in the EU referendum could cause a property price crash as a flood of panicking savers tried to get their cash out. The reason was that if there was a run on a property fund - which own actual bricks and mortar - it would be forced into a fire-sale of its assets to raise enough money to give back to investors, which could seriously harm the fund.

Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb is This Is Money's Agony Uncle. This week, he replies to a reader planning to sell a £25.45 a month annuity when a new market launches next April.

Let's hope the Government does not get bullied (or bamboozled) by big business into allowing companies to renege on pension promises made to workers.

MIDAS SHARE TIPS: Uranium miner Berkeley Energia promises us a brighter future

Salamanca is one of the most beautiful, historic towns in Spain. It is also a short drive from the only sizeable new uranium mine being developed in the world today. The mine is run by Aim-listed Berkeley Energia and its shares, at 47p, should rise substantially as the project moves towards production.

Rising gold prices this year, helped in part by concerns over Brexit, have provided handsome returns for investors with money tied up in gold funds.

On hold: Small firms lag behind in mobile revolution as just 17% have a mobile-friendly

A nationwide study of 2,000 small business owners and more than 2,000 consumers has revealed the stark gap between business owners who have failed to modernise and their customers' expectations over browsing, ordering and paying. Of the small businesses surveyed, 44 per cent had never reviewed how they take payment from customers, despite the arrival of digital wallets, contactless payment and the smartphone.

Households are responsible for half of all food waste in the UK, binning more than £12.5billion of edible food a year, at a cost of £700 to the average family.

In the UK, Pots & Co will be trialled by wholesaler CostCo on five weekends at its food show, from this month.

Boomf allows customers to upload pictures that it prints on edible marshmallows and sends as gifts.

Paris Motor Show 2016: 10 real-world cars you should be excited about

Everyone loves a crazy concept vehicle or a bank-busting hypercar, but the reality is these aren't the cars 99% of us will be looking to buy in the next six months. These 10 models, however, are. Top, left to right: Land Rover Discovery, Kia Rio, Citroen C3, Honda Civic, Mercedes AMG GT Roadster, Nissan Micra, BMW X2, Suzuki Ignis, Skoda Kodiaq.

Jane Walker, from Heswall in Merseyside, made repeated requests for help and information from Premier Foods' pension scheme, but got nowhere until This is Money intervened.

The charges - enforced at the beginning of April 2017 - will increase BT's annual valuation fourfold, from £165million to £743million.

I want to buy a patch of my neighbour's garden which is taking a chunk out of my garden

Buying a small patch of land from your neighbour may seem initially like a straight-forward process, but here are some of the issues that could trip you up unless they are addressed.

Which? found glaring holes in what qualifications advisers claimed to have and what they officially held during spot checks of listings on two specialist search sites.

Buy-to-let landlords are to face more pain after a regulator announced tough new rules - and some may have to put down an extra £15,000 deposit before they can get a home loan.

Property values in 'silicon hubs' of Cambridge, Reading and Oxford soar in last five years

In Cambridge, which has 15 tech jobs per 1,000 people, house prices have soared 58.7 per cent in the last five years to reach £442,518, the analysis of Office for National Statistics and Tech City UK data by Property Partner shows.

The average UK home was £10,430 more expensive than last year at £206,015, an increase of 5.3%, slightly lower than August's 5.6% increase.

Students are leaving university with debts of almost £50,000, as raised fees and sky-high interest rates kicks in. Changes mean they now pay 18 times the Bank of England base rate.

How £10K invested in shares beat cash savings by £90k over 30 years

While the stock market goes up and down, when it comes to investing it seems that it's worth playing the long game. A £10,000 investment in the FTSE 100 in 1986 would now be worth an impressive £126,867. If you had left the same amount in an average savings account, it would be worth £28,196 - almost £100,000 less.

Two-fifths of working age people do not have a decent savings buffer, says the Money Advice Service

More than 16 million working age people across the country have less than £100 in savings available, research has found. Two-fifths (40%) of working age peop...

The number of inheritance disputes reaching the High Court each year has soared to a record high due to the intricacies of modern family life and rising property prices, according to a law firm.

London has third highest number of Airbnb listings in the world - is it time for more

Last year, the Government deregulated short lets, allowing owners to rent out properties for fewer than 90 days a year without having to seek planning consent. Although the phenomenon is by no means confined to the capital, property consultancy JLL says the deregulation led to a surge in the number of London homes listed on Airbnb.

Fewer than half UK renters are happy with their situation compared with 80 per cent of homeowners, according to an online survey by insurer ING.

50 ways to save money....

To clear the average national household debt of ?13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of ?100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Pick the best (and cheapest) investment Isa platform

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

In this low-income world it can be hard to find mainstream investments paying a significant yield. Stifel has compiled a list of 19 investment trusts with a yield of more than 4 per cent.

L Board sign on the rear of a blue saloon car , UK

If you are new to investing then the huge number of funds and investment trusts on offer can be confusing. Fortunately, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started.

Income investing: Dividends can deliver both a healthy boost to long-term growth and a way to earn from your investments.

Income investing can let you draw on your portfolio or reinvest dividends to build solid growth over time. Our experts give their fund and investment trust recommendations.

On the up: Emerging markets such as Brazil are where much of the world's growth is expected to be over future years.

If you're looking to add some flair to your investing Isa with emerging markets, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started

Will the UK be Norway, Switzerland or Canada? Brexit trade deals we could follow

Now that we've voted ourselves out of the EU, it's time to work out how we're going to trade in future with all its 27 member countries - and the other 27 countries it has deals with. So how do other non-EU members trade with the bloc and would any of their models suit us?

It would have been nice to have a plan. Instead, after the Brexit vote we were left scratching our heads. But now it's time for some answers on trade and what we mean to the EU.

Pensions Road Sign against threatening clouds

We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

When will UK interest rates rise?

Interest rates were held at 0.25 per cent in September and experts are divided on whether the Bank of England will cut again. Howard Archer, chief UK and European Economist at IHS Markit Global Insight, said: 'At this stage, we believe it is still just about more likely than not that the Bank of England will take interest rates down to 0.10 per cent from 0.25 per cent in November.'

What next for mortgage rates?

The base rate has fallen to a new record low of 0.25% and could be cut again. But what does all of this mean for mortgage rates, which have been steadily falling over the past month to record lows?

Ten tips for buy-to-let

For many buy-to-let looks an attractive income investment in a time of low rates and stock market volatility. Climbing house prices, rising rents and improving mortgage deals are tempting investors - although they will need a big deposit. Read This is Money's top ten buy-to-let tips

TIPS, TOOLS AND HELP FOR LANDLORDS

Partner services

Landlord insurance

Quick, easy - compare and buy today

Find a mortgage

Buy-to-let rates and advice

Boiler cover

Insure your heating system for less

easyProperty.com

Find tenants - from £9.99

Compare your pay to the UK average across 350 professions

Musicians have seen pay rises averaging nearly 20 per cent in 2015, while cleaners are getting 17.8 per cent more, and window cleaners 12.3 per cent. Artists in general are earning 14.6 per cent more in 2015 than 2014, according to the huge annual data dump of pay scales by the Office For National Statistics highlights.

   

MOST READ MONEY

Tourist rates

Currency Rate Buy now
Updated 05 Oct 2016.
Euro 1.1145 Buy Now
US Dollar 1.2483 Buy Now
Australian Dollar 1.6225 Buy Now
Canadian Dollar 1.6366 Buy Now
Chinese Yuan 8.1206 Buy Now
Croatian Kuna 8.1888 Buy Now
Czech Koruna 29.695 Buy Now
Danish Krone 8.16 Buy Now
Egyptian Pound 9.8 Buy Now
Hong Kong Dollar 9.5771 Buy Now
Hungarian Forint 335.13 Buy Now
Icelandic Króna 134.22 Buy Now
Israeli New Shekel 4.561 Buy Now
Japanese Yen 127.85 Buy Now
Malaysian Ringgit 6.2624 Buy Now
Mexican Peso 23.617 Buy Now
New Turkish Lire 3.6829 Buy Now
New Zealand Dollar 1.7271 Buy Now
Norwegian Krone 9.8604 Buy Now
Polish Zloty 4.7052 Buy Now
Singapore Dollar 1.6953 Buy Now
South African Rand 17.025 Buy Now
Sterling 1.0 Buy Now
Swedish Krona 10.537 Buy Now
Swiss Franc 1.2112 Buy Now
Thai Baht 42.583 Buy Now
UAE Dirham 4.54 Buy Now

Monthly Or Lump Sum Savings Calculator

Monthly savings plan

Find out how much a regular monthly savings scheme could make me.

Results
Or lump sum investments

Calculate how much a lump sum investment could be worth.

Result

Mortgage Affordability Calculator

Your monthly payment

Enter how much you plan to borrow and find out your monthly bill. Assumes interest calculated annually.

Result
Your total mortgage

Enter the amount you can afford to pay monthly (eg. your current rent) to find out how much you can borrow...

Result
Are you over-stretching

How much of your income goes on your mortgage?

Result