Following the election and the slight fall in the value of the pound, shares in many of the largest British companies went up. As companies dealing in dollars and other currencies benefit from a weakened pound, the FTSE 100 initially rose. However, ‘local’ companies dealing in sterling, such as Lloyds Banking Group, housebuilders Crest Nicholson and retailer Next all came out worse off, as did smaller companies linked to the UK economy.
As such, those with diversified pensions and ISA funds are likely to be no worse off than before the election, and doing significantly better than this time twelve months ago. However, it’s worth remembering that the uncertainty and volatility that are likely to be seen in UK politics in the coming days, weeks and months could result in shares and investments shifting further. It is there important to ensure that your investments meet your current needs, your attitude to risk has been reviewed and is appropriate, as is your ability for loss.
Whilst interest rates on both savings and mortgages were at historic lows before the election, capital markets pushed these still further down the day after polling day in order to absorb some of the shock of a result most had not predicted. This is just the latest setback for savers in a period which has seen rates declining consistently since the Bank of England lowered the Bank Rate from 0.5% to 0.25% in August 2016. With little competition between lenders, it’s more likely that rates will fall further than begin to climb any time soon.
The housing market too has been slowing since well before the election, making it a good time for those looking for a great deal on a mortgage to find one – but only if they meet the increasingly fastidious lending methods being used by lenders. The economic instability the country could potentially see in the coming months mean that criteria may tighten further, so those hoping to benefit from a low mortgage rate should do so sooner rather than later in order to avoid missing out.