Stock market movements – today 22/08/17 The DOW Jones Industrial Average closed at 21899 after gaining nearly 200 points today. S&P 500 closed up at 2452 gaining 24 points. The NASAQ closed at 6297. The DAX index was up 1.4% to 12229 – adding 163 points The FTSE 100 closed …

German business confidence falls. A survey taken of German investors suggests confidence has fallen –  from a score of 17.5 to 10 in July. Looking at the performance of the DAX today you wouldn’t have thought so. The DAX closed up today at 12229 a 1.4% increase.  

Provident Financial PLC shares down. Provident Financial PLC (PFG) shares are taking a hammering again today. They have been falling all day again and at 15:00 on 21/08/17 they were down 68% at £5.51  and falling! In May this year the shares were trading at a high of £32.50 and …

Is the UK state pension system broken? It started in 1909 when approximately 500,000 people aged 70 and over, who qualified,  were given an old age pension of five shillings a week. That’s 25 pence – equivalent to £20 in today’s money. The pension we have now by comparison is …