12th March 21
It was ECB this week and we also had the US finally put pen to paper on the fiscal stimulus deal we have all been waiting for. First up the ECB, as expected, there was no change to interest r...
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5th March 21
Oil is off to the moon at the moment as the OPEC+ will they won't they saga continued this week. As always with OPEC there was lots of hearsay and drama but the final result meant that all but R...
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4th March 21
“Things can only get better” opined our last blog when looking at the prospects for 2021, with the hope that the Covid vaccines would enable a return to normality. The ...
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26th February 21
What a week it has been in the macro markets as the US 10-year treasury yield hit a high of 1.563%, a level not seen since February 2020. The low of the year stood at 0.36%, which was only on 9t...
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19th February 21
Despite all the talk of negative rates from central bankers in the UK the pound has hit a level we have not seen since April 2018. The mass vaccination program and better than expected GDP readi...
Read More12th February 21
Commodities have been very mixed this week. I would like to concentrate on the base metals as they have been on a great run in 2021 and the last week was no exception. Remember, over the next we...
Read More5th February 21
It's been another interesting week in the FX and macro markets where the risk environment has been mixed. The risk sentiment has been tied to the stronger dollar as on the days where t...
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8th December 20
Festive city lunches are likely to be more subdued affairs this season, but we’ll try to get into the party spirit with a quiz question: "which year did the Queen proclaim to be an 'annus horri...
Read More9th November 20
The first week of November produced a slow burning fuse rather than bright fireworks insofar as the US election is concerned. At the time of writing this blog, it would appear that the Democratic par...
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28th October 20
Financial markets have faced huge uncertainty throughout 2020. The onslaught of the pandemic and ensuing economic crisis has dealt a huge blow, while attempts to remedy the situation have seen govern...
Read More22nd September 20
Last month’s blog was entitled “Never bet against the Fed” (following the US central bank’s intimation of low rates, irrespective of inflation), whereas the above saying &ndas...
Read More1st September 20
The above saying, often cited by economists and money managers, has particular credence following the statement made by the governor of the Federal Reserve Bank (the ‘Fed’) yesterday. Fin...
Read More30th June 20
Following the review of a ‘Magnificent Seven’ (famous fund managers) , this blo g highlights two of the author’s favourite funds that focus o...
Read More18th June 20
Based on feedback to this blog, clearly a lot of investors in collective investment vehicles (like unit or investment trusts) put a lot of faith in individual fund managers – notwithstanding on...
Read More1st June 20
After highlighting a cautious, defensive equity vehicle in the last blog – ‘A man for all seasons’ via the Scottish investment trust – the author has been asked to pr...
Read More22nd May 20
The last blog ‘At the Crossroads’ prompted considerable conversation surrounding the immediate outlook for financial markets, with readers seemingly reflecting investors’ positionin...
Read More7th May 20
Investors have experienced a turbulent and very uncomfortable 2020 to date, with the COVID-19 pandemic surprising us all and inducing a level of uncertainty rarely seen in our lifetimes. If dear read...
Read More22nd April 20
In the current commodity price environment, with oil prices at their lowest level for decades, companies are under huge pressure. It’s survival of the fittest. Many have been forced to halt ope...
Read More20th April 20
While the oil market is at historical lows as the global economy struggles with a production cut that will eventually set prices rising again, AIM-listed Ascent are rolling the dice, setting up an am...
Read More2nd April 20
“March winds and April showers bring May flowers” so says the nineteenth century proverb. Well, we can’t be sure what April will bring but March 2020 was the stormiest month –...
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