Tom Stevenson Follow 21 July 2019 • 3:38pm For years on end, the gold price is only of interest to the kind of people who stockpile tinned goods and Kalashnikovs. Then suddenly everyone’s wittering on about it. Interest in the precious metal tends to rise in those rare periods when someone you know has made money holding it. Well, the gold price has risen 23pc since last August and, guess what, it’s the talk of the markets right now. Gold hit a six-year high last week as nervous investors focused on its safe-haven appeal at a time of heightened worries on several fronts. The shooting down of an Iranian drone in the Gulf reminded us of the potential for things to go badly wrong in the Middle East. Then, a new record high for the S&P 500... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week … [Read more...] about It’s now smart to hold some gold
Business
Centrica set to slash dividend for second time
Centrica is preparing to pare back its dividend for the second time in four years as the British Gas owner plots the sale of some oil and gas interests in a bid to revive its finances. The FTSE 100 firm could cut to its payout to investors as well as offload some of all of its 69pc stake in oil and gas producer Spirit Energy in a bid to cut its £2.7bn debt mountain. Chief executive Iain Conn slashed the dividend by 30pc when he joined from BP in 2015 and analysts believe he will do so again when the company updates investors this week. Billions have been wiped off Centrica's market value since he joined, while Britain’s biggest largest supplier of gas and electricity lost almost 750,000 customers... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium … [Read more...] about Centrica set to slash dividend for second time
RBS chief’s £9m bonus at risk as he goes Down Under
RBS is considering whether outgoing boss Ross McEwan deserves to be granted “good leaver” status, a decision that will affect a potential bonus pot of up to £8.7m in his final year. It is understood that the bank’s board is debating how much of the bonus, if any, the New Zealander should be awarded on top of his fixed pay of around £2.3m. His new role at National Australia Bank (NAB) could be a consideration because it is a rival to RBS. “It’s the discretion of the remuneration committee if he’s a good or bad leaver – it could be that he gets all of it, it could be that he gets none of it,” one person said. “There’s a variety of factors … [NAB] may well be one of the things they discuss.” ... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week … [Read more...] about RBS chief’s £9m bonus at risk as he goes Down Under
Easy elevator fix was avoided as kids died
It was lunchtime when 2 1/2-year-old Fletcher Hartz opened the door to the elevator at his grandparents' home in Little Rock, Arkansas. His mother, Nicole Hartz, stood a few feet away in the kitchen making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She didn't see him walk into the hallway and pull open the elevator door, which looked like an ordinary closet door. But she heard him cry. She thought Fletcher, a curious little boy with thick brown hair, was upset because he couldn't reach a light switch. She went to check on him and found Fletcher trapped behind the door to the elevator, which her in-laws had installed a few years earlier to accommodate their own elderly parents at the two-story home.Nicole yanked on the door. It was locked, automatically secured by a safety device after being closed. But she could pull it open a crack. She could see Fletcher was caught in the narrow gap behind the outer door and just in front of an accordion door that closed off the elevator car, a no man's … [Read more...] about Easy elevator fix was avoided as kids died
How divorce is destroying the finances of Americans over 50
In one sense, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and his ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos, are nothing special. By finalizing their divorce this month, they join the millions of Americans now splitting up in middle age. The rate of divorce after age 50 has doubled in the U.S. since 1990. The billionaire exes are unique, though, in escaping divorce with their finances relatively unscathed. He's still the world's richest person, worth $123.1 billion, and she has a $39.7 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Amazon shares climbed 19% since they announced the end of their 25-year marriage in January.There are few things more devastating than divorce. Even the very wealthy can find it financially draining, emotionally harrowing and just plain messy. Academic studies document serious health effects. A 2009 paper noted that recently separated or divorced adults have higher resting blood pressure. Last year, a German study found "divorce led to considerable weight gain over time, … [Read more...] about How divorce is destroying the finances of Americans over 50