The British equity market is a fertile ground for income investors. The benchmark FTSE 100 index had a dividend yield of 4.2% in February. For comparison, the S&P 500 has a dividend yield of about 2%. The following are three interesting facts about dividend payers in the UK market: More than 50% of income in …
The FTSE 100 Index is the benchmark index of the UK equity market. It contains 100 companies with the highest market capitalization. The FTSE 100 Index Returns By Year from 1985 thru 2015 are shown in the chart below: Click to enlarge The FTSE 100 Index Returns By Year from 1985 thru 2015 are shown in the table below: Data Source: FTSE Indices …
Financial services and related professional services are some of the most important industries critical to the UK economy. Currently about 2.2 million workers are employed in these sectors. Professional services related to finance include legal, accounting and management consulting. Of the 2.2 million the majority are in banking and insurance. The following two graphs show …
Continue reading ‘On the Employment in UK Financial and Related Services’ »
Volatility is normal in equity markets. The dramatic selloff that followed Brexit and the reversal in the past few days is a classic example of this phenomenon. Even in good years stocks can experience gut-wrenching declines. Ultimately the annual returns or long-term returns matters most than dramatic declines in a short-time. The following table shows …
Continue reading ‘FTSE All-Share Index Annual Returns and Intra-year Declines’ »
The counting is underway on the Brexit vote. Global markets have already rallied this week on the hope that voters would support the “Remain” group than the “Leave” group. While we wait for the results let’s take a look at how the UK equity market reacts after major one-day declines. According to a report by Schroders, based …
Continue reading ‘UK Stock Market: Biggest One-Day Declines And Subsequent Returns’ »