Market chaos silver lining
Good afternoon. Early days but the agreement to a ceasefire was much welcomed by the markets. It is an odd world when sometimes you are grateful that some of your assets fall in price, because they were the hedges against other things you have been holding.
So, when oil and energy stocks slumped last Wednesday...
Rates cut, our 40th and Afternoon Tea
So the FCA is issuing a hefty fine of £46million on Mr Neil Woodford and his Company. He is being banned from senior management roles and managing funds for private individuals – ouch. He is appealing (or perhaps to the FCA (which is also investigating his latest unregulated investment tipping activities) is that he...
Trump tariffs – don’t panic
This is not long after my last missive but clearly President Trump’s tariffs are creating temporary havoc. However, it is very disconcerting and especially when a whole year’s ‘normal’ returns for investors can be wiped out in just a day’s movement on a market. No-one alive has faced tariff announcements of this nature.
The last...
New Year greetings and 2024 review
UK shares, Budget and what’s next?
Good news in that the Bill about Investment Trust charges’ reporting is very much back on parliamentary agenda. Readers might recall the Election stymied the last attempt. Success would be a very useful outcome for holders of these investment vehicles and see reductions in discounts to asset values as well as open new investment...
General Election issues for the markets?
A General Election looms! So the Dow Jones has pushed higher again, breaching 40,000 and almost double its March 2020 pandemic low. At the depth of the financial crisis in 2009, it was 7,062. Still, you know my sentiments in the short-term here... what possibly could go wrong over there?
The UK has been pushing...
Markets rebound despite Middle East troubles
The markets are hoping that Middle-Eastern concerns have not escalated and after initial worries, markets have rebounded and the oil price slipped-back again. Let us be hopeful that is a permanent state of affairs though the Israel Hostage and Palestine situation does not go away.
The UK and the US have approved further sums for...
Economic ups and downs
Just as we think things have brightened, out comes the inflation figure at 4% versus the expected 3.9%. That was blamed on tobacco and alcohol – the latter also as duty rose on wine last autumn, based on alcohol strengths.
It is as if the government doesn’t realise that increasing taxes on products increases inflation......
Financial predictions for 2024?
Ominous Bitcoin
So the SEC has approved 11 ETFs which invest in Bitcoin. First of all, don’t worry – we shan’t be buying them. Bitcoin is not an ‘asset’ and has nebulous, proven legitimate value and use. This ‘development’ is added to the latest speculative explosion about ‘AI’ (which of course has myriad applications and...