Chris Iggo
Chris Iggo
companies dividends increasing money pension pressures share subject
Companies have been subject to pressures to look after shareholders by increasing dividends and doing share buybacks and also having to put money into their own pension funds.
corporate given investment levels position sector somewhat strong surprised weakness
I've been somewhat surprised by the weakness of investment levels in the U.K., particularly given the strong position the U.K. corporate sector has been in.
assets case closely deficits definitely driven funds match mostly pension pressures projected reduce reducing
It's definitely the case that pension funds have been reducing their allocation to equities and that's been driven mostly by legislative pressures to reduce their deficits and to match more closely their assets with projected liabilities.
corporate earnings fairly fear interest moment positive rates sector terms
The story from the corporate sector is still fairly positive in terms of earnings and at the moment interest rates going up is more of a fear than a reality.
companies europe good looks midst publishing reporting seem
We're in the midst of the U.S. reporting season, which looks pretty good. Companies in Europe seem to have been publishing good numbers, so I think the fundamentals are still pretty positive.