Sterling Archives - Philip J Milton & Company Plc

Markets continue to wobble

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 13:00:30 +0000

Oh dear, more uncertainties afflicting global markets as a consequence of the attacks on Iran and then the ramifications. They are dreadful and for the innocent people involved but as for the financial implications, on capital markets, maybe retrenchment reflects the ‘need’ for profit-taking it seems. This is even discounting unintended consequences, such as a […]

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Dollar doldrums and silver surfing

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:45:45 +0000

Quietly and gently and perhaps almost unnoticed, the US Dollar had been seeing a drift downhill before strengthening again over last week. Against Sterling it has now been the lowest since September 2021, having fallen by over 26% since the Pound’s trough in July 2022. We are not so unhappy as we have currency in […]

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Chancellor tears but not for us

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:53:37 +0000

So, very unconvincingly the Prime Minister supporting the Chancellor’s dire financial announcements brought the wrong sort of tears to her eyes, promptly seeing the cost of long-term UK Government debt rise by a whopping 5% and Sterling losing a cent instantly. Fortunately that was short-lived but we’re still paying far more than at the worst […]

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Citywire Top 100, Budget and MIGO

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 14:53:10 +0000

Thank you Citywire again for the honour of being on the ‘Top 100 Financial Advisers’ list this year! We are very humbled. Top 100 2024: See the penultimate list of fantastic firms Whilst the photo Citywire uses still shows me with hair (!), the content is what counts – thank you everyone for the judgment […]

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Sterling effort, investment and taxes

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:45:37 +0000

The US Dollar’s the lowest against Sterling since April 2022. That’s a 20% ascent for Sterling since the Sept 2022 low. It has been weaker these last few weeks as it is expected that interest rates will be cut even though US inflation readings are mixed. Currency volatility can work for you or against you […]

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Bitcoin (just don’t!) and serious salary sizes

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 10:00:00 +0000

Regular readers will know our views on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies – a ‘Ponzi’ scheme not backed up by anything tangible and a lesson in losing money waiting to happen for some investors. Nonetheless, it seems the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees and regulates the securities markets and protects investors in the US, has seen […]

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Gilts, Sterling recovery and markets

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 15:23:28 +0000

So the UK Government has sold the most expensive Gilt since 2007, paying 5.668% till redemption in October 2025. That is significantly higher than the rates which were applying only a few years ago. Unless inflation abates (and wage figures today don’t help) then the cost of servicing the National Debt will rocket and start […]

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Inflation and cautious optimism

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Fri, 23 Jun 2023 15:20:41 +0000

So Sterling has hit its highest level against the Dollar since April last year and the Euro since August. Whilst it reduces the value of investors’ overseas’ assets, strength is positive and I can say ‘expected’ though whether it is on confidence in the UK and our economic prowess (or others’ regression) is hard to […]

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May the new Prime Minister bring stable markets

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 13:34:57 +0000

Let’s hope we can look forward to a little stability under new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – initial reports at the time of writing on Monday suggested the markets had responded well, Sterling was up and Gilt yields were lower. Time will tell of course and Mr Sunak has a very large task ahead of […]

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How will the Mini Budget affect your finances?

Philip J Milton & Company Plc — Wed, 28 Sep 2022 15:11:07 +0000

Markets? We are holding our own reasonably though Mini Budget week was savage and the negativity is continuing. Our hedging Dollar assets rose in Sterling terms and so many ‘value’ equities now are exceedingly attractive, with high dividend incomes. Do we trim some of our Defensive Dollar-based assets now? Growth areas were hit hardest – […]

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