November 2017
Nowhere to hide
There doesn’t seem to be any stopping equity markets this year, which continue to climb higher and higher due to a genuine absence of anywhere else to go in order to sustain a reasonable return. As equity markets keep rising, valuations continue to stretch (at this point not excessively), yet investors keep buying in and notching up gains.
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October 2017
Passive vs. Active
Sir John Templeton famously said, “The four most expensive words in the English dictionary are ‘this time it’s different.’” Whilst poignant quotes are ten a penny, this particular quote by the founder of Templeton investments struck home, namely because we are now well into one of the longest and ‘most hated’ bull markets on record, as some like to call it.
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September 2017
TAM goes exotic in the hunt for yield
Ask any investor what the major difference is between holding a company’s debt and a company’s equity and they will tell you bond holders are protected as, in the case of bankruptcy, it is the bond holders who get their cash back first.
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July 2017
Why we're banking on banks
The financials sector has had a shaky start to the year following strong performance towards the end of last year on prospects of growth and inflation from a stimulative economic agenda from the Trump administration.
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June 2017
To serve and protect: Protecting clients' wealth through turbulent times
'To Serve and Protect' is a phrase of singular simplicity coined by the LAPD in the 50’s to embody its mission statement. Since then, it has cemented itself as the cornerstone of US, and arguably global law enforcement.
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June 2017
Message from the CEO
Not wanting to compare my age frame to that of a walrus, I nonetheless do think the time has come “to talk of many things", so here are some core facts and issues I think worthy of note...
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June 2017
Another Binary Event: UK General Election
In a strange twist of fate, with just two weeks to go until the anniversary of the Brexit referendum, the UK electorate is back in the polling booth, voting on the direction of UK politics. Now, for many this will be a proxy vote on allowing Mrs. May to continue what she started with the issuing of Article 50.
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19th May 2017
Could Trump bring the bull market to a halt?
The recent high profile news in the US is about Trump (no surprise there then!) and his seemingly irrational behaviour with regards to the abrupt firing of his FBI Director and the Russian influence that portended it. This has taken centre stage and caused the first real overnight market setback for months.
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May 2017
Domestic disappointment, international success?
For all of President Trump’s posturing on Twitter, we don’t envy his position. If people came to you with the notion they would be closely judging your achievements in your job over the first 100 days, would you be concerned? At the very least, keen to make an impression perhaps?
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April 2017
May's u-turn: Why now?
From the toppling of a Prime Minister and flash crashes in the pound, all the way down to the callous downsizing of our nation’s Toblerone bars, the UK’s historic Leave vote from the EU continues to run more like a suspense-filled thriller than a political motion to leave the single market.
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April 2017
Millennials: Well-educated, tech-savvy and ready to change the world
Some say they’re just out of nappies, others say they’re the next world leaders, we say that the Millennial generation (those born between 1980 and 1999) are transforming the image of socially responsible investing (SRI).
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March 2017
A journey through Europe’s political minefield
I don’t think we’re alone in saying 2016 will go down in history as a watershed moment for global politics - a year when the people stood up and voted for wholesale change. Arguably the only thing upstaging 2016’s propensity for shocks, is 2017’s potential to deliver more of the same, and possibly on an even bigger scale.
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March 2017
Hammond keeps powder dry ahead of Brexit
Philip Hammond delivered his first, and ironically his last, spring budget yesterday, in what was considered by many as a budget designed to set the stage for Brexit. With Brexit being the obvious elephant in the commons yesterday, commentators quipped that the Chancellor managed to get through the entire speech without even mentioning the word!
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March 2017
Diamonds in the rough
Emerging markets (EMs) is the well-worn phrase coined to describe the group of countries considered to be underdeveloped, but which are rapidly growing and urbanising. Despite their reputation for carrying significant economic and political risk, EMs present opportunities to invest in companies looking to take advantage of the growing population of consumers.
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January 2017
Trump takes his throne
The dust had settled, the shock had begun to subside and the hecklers had… well they’re still heckling… but nonetheless, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, taking his throne as leader of the world’s most powerful nation.
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January 2017
100 days to deliver
2016 was tumultuous in the context of political upheaval but 2017 promises to be no less interesting. Decisions made by the electorate in the UK over Brexit and the US over Trump, will see their expectations or fears unfold in 2017-2018.
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January 2017
Our Review of 2016 and Outlook for 2017
Harold Wilson is attributed as saying that a week is a long time in politics. One wonders what he would have made of the political drama throughout 2016, an extraordinary year of political upheaval where the improbable became routine.
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