Duncan and John kick off this episode with a deeper dive into inflation, in particular a problem they have been talking about for quite a while now namely the structural inflation that seems to be hanging around despite all efforts to shift it. Now of course you can take a view on how well this…
Stock markets have reacted badly to inflation figures from the U.K., U.S. and Eurozone. We’ve commented previously about the groupthink that now infests central banks and policy makers, in general. A cozy consensus was emerging that falling inflation would pave the way for rate cuts but inflation, while sharply lower over the past 12 months,…
Look at us go, sticking to our resolution and bringing you a new episode at the time we promised. And what’s more a bit of a departure from the norm, after a quick update on the global financial situation we jump head first into an example of how we work we review a portfolio. So…
A brand new year, and a brand new resolution from the folks at the Just Williams podcast. What won’t be changing is the regular focus on current events and how they impact on the global financial markets, the up-to-the minute insight into the investment sector or highlighting what we need to be watching out for…
12 months ago, Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell, noted “The question of when to moderate the pace of increases is much less important than the question of how high and how long to keep monetary policy restrictive”. At the time, U.S., UK and Eurozone rates were 4%, 3% and 2.5% respectively. After their December 2023…
Look out, it’s the Christmas Special edition of the Just Williams podcast! Tune in as John & Duncan, resplendent in their Christmas Jumpers, close out the year by taking you through some of the highs (and the not-so-highs) of global economic conditions and the investment markets over the course of 2023. Whilst sticky inflation and…
Saul Bellow, Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, noted “a great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep”. This neatly segues into the travails of short-term office lessor, WeWork, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Whatever value remains (if any), once it emerges,…
At its November meeting, the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained interest rates within a 5.25% – 5.50% range. The Bank of England did likewise, keeping its key rate at 5.25% while the European Central Bank (ECB) also opted to maintain the status quo at 4.0%. Not for the first time, we are left wondering why they…
It’s the post-Thanksgiving, pre-Advent edition of Just Williams and it’s coming at you with twinkly lights, frosty paths and the faint whiff of a warm mince pie. As always we catch up with the last global economic news before Duncan & John offer pithy insight into the investment markets with that laser-like focus that you…
RIP Charlie Munger, Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, who died on the 28th November just shy of his 100th birthday. While always attracted to the investment philosophy of Munger’s more famous business partner, Warren Buffett, as time progressed I became more Charlie than Warren. Munger said less than Buffett but it resonated more. He also cared…