General news - Blue Finessence

Dutch government to tackle international tax avoidance

The Netherlands will improve tax transparency and update tax treaties with low-income countries and low middle-income countries. Tax treaties with Zambia and 22 other poor countries will be revised to allow the incorporation of anti-abuse clauses where necessary. This was announced by Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and

Van Dijkhuizen Committee: lower tax rates with a very long first bracket, fewer tax deductibles and simpler benefits will lead to more jobs

The Van Dijkhuizen Committee advises the government to opt for an improved tax system with lower rates and a very long first bracket, fewer deductible items and simpler benefits. According to the CPB Netherlands Economic Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis, these structural reforms will lead in the long

Government wishes to sell shares in URENCO

The Dutch government wishes to sell its interest in URENCO, which provides uranium enrichment services for nuclear power producers. The Cabinet has agreed to this intention. The sale of the Dutch shares in URENCO can only take place, when the public interest in terms of non-proliferation, nuclear safety

Dutch minister of Finance makes offer for compensation due to the nationalisation of SNS REAAL

The Dutch minister of Finance makes an offer for compensation due to the expropriation of shares and subordinated debt of SNS REAAL and SNS Bank. The offer amounts to €0,- for both the expropriated shares as well as the subordinated debt. Source

State of the Netherlands nationalises SNS REAAL

The Minister of Finance, in close consultation with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), has nationalised SNS Reaal. Savings deposits of clients are secure and the service provision of SNS REAAL has been safeguarded. The intervention has averted grave threats to financial stability and the economy. Source

Black Coffee: Forward March!

It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe … Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance. I hope everybody had a wonderful week. And with that, let’s

Where is All of the Money Coming From?

I’ve been writing lately about how investors have continued to buy the dip anytime the stock market falters (see here and here).1 We keep hitting record after record for investor inflows. This is from Bloomberg: Retail traders went on a record dip buying spree Monday, reversing a 1%

The Dumb Money Isn’t So Dumb Anymore

We also discussed why investors are buying the dip more often, the future of retail trading, how tax-deferred retirement accounts will evolve and how AI will change the wealth management landscape. Further Reading: Two of the Biggest Trends This Decade The post The Dumb Money Isn’t So Dumb

AI Investing in Canada: AI Stocks vs Tools

Canadian investors are increasingly faced with two related trends: investing in AI stocks (buying shares of companies benefitting from artificial intelligence boom) versus using AI to invest (leveraging AI-driven tools to make investment decisions). Personally, I’m instinctually suspicious of anything that gets this much press coverage and hype

PM meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus: 21 May 2025

The Prime Minister hosted President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus for a short meeting in Downing Street during his visit to London. HM GovernmentSource

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