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Exactly one year ago, I suggested the Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) share price could double investors’ money if a significant second wave of the coronavirus was avoided. We all know how that turned out.

Maybe this suggestion wasn’t too fanciful. After all, Lloyds’ valuation is a lot higher now than it was back then. It’s climbed another 4% in value today, following an encouraging Q1 trading update.

Why is the Lloyds share price flying?

Thanks to an improving outlook on the UK economy, pre-tax profit for the first three months of 2021 came in at £1.9bn. This is clearly a vast improvement on the paltry £74m achieved over the same period in 2020. The latest number also beat market expectations, suggesting the Covid-19 hangover won’t be quite as bad as originally feared.

Loans and advances at Lloyds increased slightly to £443.5bn in the three months to the end of March. As … Read more

First-time buyers have always faced challenges getting on the property ladder, and the pandemic hasn’t made it any easier. That is why the government has intervened in various ways to help. Initiatives such as the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme and the stamp duty holiday have provided lifelines for first-time buyers. The latest government announcement of a Generation Buy scheme offers further support for those buying their first house.

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What is Generation Buy?

To understand the term ‘Generation buy’, it might be important to define ‘Generation Rent’ first. Generation Rent is a phrase used to describe young adults between the ages of 18-40 who cannot buy property. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson highlighted that the most prevalent reason young adults can’t afford to buy houses is the size of the deposit required when applying for a mortgage. He further stated that it is high time young adults were given … Read more

Thanks to the magic that is compound interest, investing as early in the tax year as possible is a really good idea. As such, I’ve wasted no time making a few fund purchases in my Stocks and Shares ISA this month. Here’s what I’ve been buying.

Small stocks, big rewards

My first buy has been a top-up to my holding in the Lionstrust UK Micro Cap fund. This aims to hold some of the best small company shares available and is managed by a team of highly experienced managers including Anthony Cross and Julian Fosh.

Thanks to their ability to grow revenue and profits far quicker than your average FTSE 100 juggernaut, minnows tend to generate better returns for investors over the long term. Launched back in September 2016, the 64-stock Liontrust fund had gained 133% by the end of March. This compares very well to the 85% achieved by … Read more

You’ll soon be able to walk into your local corner shop, pub or cafe and get cashback without making a purchase. This is after the government agreed changes in the House of Lords to the Financial Services Bill, which updates financial services regulation after the UK’s exit from the EU.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new policy including its implications for consumers and small businesses.

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Cashback without purchase: what do I need to know?

Cashback at retailers’ tills is the UK’s second most popular method of cash withdrawal behind ATMs. In 2019, shoppers received approximately £3.8 billion in cashback when paying for purchases at a till.

However, EU law has historically made it difficult for small businesses to offer cashback to consumers without purchases.

Businesses wanting to offer a cashback service without requiring a purchase needed to be authorised or registered with the Financial Conduct Authority … Read more