I rarely watch BBC News nowadays. This is principally because there’s precious little news on it. I suppose it all depends upon what your definition of news is. Mine is what are the obvious national and international stories today on this planet of 7 billion plus souls? Lord Reith had it right when he noted the BBC’s job…
If there was any doubt regarding how inept, gullible and arrogant the Bank of England (B of E) is, it came with its decision to raise interest rates by 0.5% to 1.75%. It’s the largest rise in 27 years, which sounds dramatic but against CPI (Consumer Price Index) inflation of 9.4%, it’s akin to calling…
Bad can be good and good can be bad. Michael Jackson was Bad although, according to Jordy Chandler, Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck, not in a good way. Bad can mean good as in ‘that Mustang is seriously badass’ which roughly translates as ‘that particular Ford car looks delightful’. A kind gentleman recently described my…
From an economic perspective, it’s difficult to argue there has been any improvement over recent weeks. On the contrary, global inflation continues to rise, as do interest rates while in the UK, waves of industrial action now appear a formality. Meanwhile, Putin’s forces continue their assault on Eastern Ukraine, meaning little respite for the prices…
In homage to the Halifax’s new policy on name badges carrying personal pronouns, Williams Investment Management decided to implement a similar strategy. I self identify as ‘John’, ‘Yorkshireman’ and ‘Bloke’ (or ‘Geezer’, for any readers in the London area). I’d wanted to add ‘George Clooney lookalike’ and ‘F16 Fighter Pilot’ but unfortunately there wasn’t enough room. I’m joking,…
There’s a wonderful Warren Buffett quote that never loses its resonance. “You should invest in a business that even a fool can run because someday a fool will”. Buffett means that he wants the business to be the ‘star’, not the management. A combination of a brilliant business with competent management is likely going to…
Markets have generally weakened as investors continue to absorb a plethora of bad news. Despite expecting inflation to be ‘transitory’, all major central banks are now not only tightening monetary policy but signalling that further rate rises are embedded in their thinking. It’s a pity their hopeless misreading of inflation has resulted in such a…
Markets are now reflecting multiple concerns. February witnessed the shock of a full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, rather than a Donbas land grab mirroring Putin’s previous tactics in North Ossetia, Abkhazia and Crimea. Due to Ukrainian resistance, Western assistance and poor Russian tactics, Putin’s ambitions have subsequently been clipped out of necessity. However, the…
While the war (sorry, Special Operation) in Ukraine continues to take centre stage, there are signs that markets are starting to look beyond it, refocusing on economic matters. In the US, 10 year Treasury bonds currently yield 2.4% which offers precious little recompense when inflation stands at 8.5%. In the UK, 10 year Government bonds…
Ukraine continues to dominate headlines. As we write, it appears Russia’s initial tactics have failed and a combination of its frustration, incompetence and brutality hallmarks the next stage of this conflict. In 2000, the Chechen capital, Grozny, had suffered a greater degree of destruction than befell Dresden at the end of WWII, so Putin’s current…