Winners and losers of 2018: the year when savers got the better of investors

It was better to be a saver than an investor in 2018. Returns on cash savings accounts increased markedly, building on improvements last year and the year before, but the London stock market slumped and stands barely higher than it was two decades ago.

Meanwhile, those adventurous souls who bet on cryptocurrencies lost heavily this year.

However, we were largely spared tax rises in 2018 and, indeed, many people will benefit from the Chancellor’s largesse this year come April 2019.

Savers have seen many rates improve. A one-year bond paid 1.77pc on Jan 1 but now pays 2.04pc. This is a 15pc improvement (figures are from Savings Champion, which collects rate data, and are an average of the top five...