Periods of geopolitical tension often dominate the headlines, and the recent military action involving the US, Israel and Iran is no exception. Such events naturally heighten uncertainty. As ever, markets digest new information rapidly. Prices reflect the consensus view of millions of participants, each interpreting evolving events in real time. Where the situation goes next is unknowable. Markets will move…
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Being an investor can be emotionally challenging. Even after a run of positive years, it is entirely natural to worry that some of those gains may be given back. Then again, this is regularly a feature of a long-term investor’s journey, though no such guarantees exist. As the calendar turns, it is once again the season for bold predictions and…
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This year’s Budget feels notable as much for what didn’t happen as for what did. Pre-Budget speculation hinted at radical changes, such as capping or removing pension tax-free cash, but I am happy to report that this, and many other rumours didn’t materialise. Instead, the Chancellor signalled a different direction of travel, and some would say a more…
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Currency movements can affect investing outcomes. Investors owning overseas assets therefore are naturally concerned about what to do with this risk. The two options are to accept currency risk, or transfer it to another party willing to accept it, for a cost. The decision of what to do with currency exposure differs based on the role of the asset class…
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Periods of volatility in markets can feel unsettling, particularly when the news headlines remain relentlessly negative. On any given day, a company’s share price essentially reflects two things. Firstly, the consensus view of the value of future cashflows, whether such profits are paid out to shareholders as dividends, or reinvested to continue growing the business. And secondly, what is…
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This shiny metal always glistens most brightly when it has just risen in value. In the past 12 months, the price of gold has nearly doubled. Recency bias and the fear of missing out (FOMO) always results in ‘should it be in my portfolio?’ type questions. Somewhat bizarrely, investors tend to get excited about assets that have already risen in…
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The first rule of compounding: Never interrupt it unnecessarily. Charlie Munger In Indian folklore, a minister and wiseman called Sessa, apparently invented chess for his King, and in return asked for payment in grains of wheat: one grain on the first square, two on the second and doubling each square thereafter. The…
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Almost four months after the Labour victory in the general election of early July, Chancellor Rachel Reeves finally delivered the new government’s first Budget on 30 October 2024. Since taking over the keys of 10 Downing Street, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his team had consistently telegraphed the likelihood of “painful” tax hikes. As well as the alleged £22 billion…
read moreBy its very nature, the investing industry is full of differing views on how one ought to invest their hard-earned cash. One of the more polarising debates is whether an investment in gold, physically or synthetically via an investment fund, makes good sense. The debate tends to flare up each time gold experiences a rapid growth in value, such as…
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It is a simple statement that the decision to invest in the first place provides an opportunity to protect hard-earned savings from inflation, and perhaps grow further. It is not easy, however, to have the foresight, as well as the discipline to deny oneself spending today for the opportunity of a better tomorrow. It is also not easy to work…
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