The sun is out, the sky is blue and even the economy is looking cheerier than usual. Here are six reasons to be optimistic about your financial outlook:
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Wages are rising
Annual wage growth was at 2.8 per cent last month – wages are rising faster than prices for the first time in a year.
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Inflation is going down
Inflation fell from 2.7 per cent a year to 2.5 per cent over the year to the end of March, according to the OMS. Weaker price growth plus higher wage growth = we can afford more stuff.
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House prices are rising more slowly, and the strongest rises are OUTSIDE London and the South East
Annual house price growth has fallen from 4.7 per cent to 4.4 per cent. How is that a reason to be cheerful? Well, it’s because the growth is being redistributed. London and the South East, for which it has been party time since about 2010, are seeing low to no growth – the growth is pretty much all coming from the sticks – read: the rest of the country. About time too.
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More people have jobs
Employment figures rose – to 75.4 per cent of the population eligible to work. A record high and 55,000 more than the previous month.
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Interest rates could rise next month
Not so great if you are a major borrower, but on balance, good news, because savers really do need to see higher rewards for setting aside some cash.
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Sustainable investing is going MAINSTREAM, according to 7IM
We were delighted to hear that Liontrust Sustainable Futures Corporate Bond fund was in seventh place on the list of top ten funds traded on the platform. That’s the first time a sustainability fund has entered the top ten. Props to Liontrust!
Read the Good Investment Review, from 3D Investing and Good With Money, and make your ISA so much nicer #NicerISA
