Wealth – In the news

ESG assets to top $50trn by 2025

ESG assets are forecast to exceed $50trn (£36.5trn) – over a third of projected global assets – by 2025, according to Bloomberg Intelligence1. The analysis comes as environmental, social and governance factors are becoming increasingly important to investors across the globe.

“The pandemic and the global race to net zero carbon emissions have put ESG criteria into orbit – from niche to mainstream to mandatory”, said Adeline Diab, Head of ESG and Thematic Investing EMEA & APAC at Bloomberg Intelligence.

UK dividends see significant recovery in Q2

UK dividends rose by 51% in the three months to June 2021, jumping to £25.7bn on a headline basis, according to Link Group’s2 UK Dividend Monitor. Almost 90% of the increase can be attributed to firms restarting dividends compared with Q2 2020 data. This increase was significantly ahead of expectations of an increase of 31% in Q2.

Income rich, cash poor – the wealthy with no savings

For households with a six-figure income, covering a major unexpected bill is just a drop in the ocean, right? Wrong. Research3 has revealed that 23% of households with an income of £100,000 would be unable to cover an unexpected bill or survive more than three months without their income. This is also true of over one in ten households earning over £150,000. Just as high earners have more coming in each month, they tend to have more going out. Saving can be difficult when your outgoings are high, but it is essential for improving your resilience to financial shocks.

1Bloomberg Intelligence, 2021

2Link Group, 2021

3hl, 2021

The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. The past is not a guide to future performance and past performance may not necessarily be repeated.