A look at ‘ICO advisers’ July 24, 2018 Last week we looked at use-cases for the blockchain. This week I want to talk about advisers on ICO projects, and how to evaluate them. For full disclosure: I am an adviser to three currently running ICOs. In the beginning, advisers were brought into ICO projects to broaden the skillsets and experience of the core [...]
What lies in store for the euro? July 24, 2018 | City Talk The euro area has made reasonable economic progress in recent years. It has been recovering from the Western banking crash and credit crunch of 2007-9 and from the euro crises of 2011-13. A general calm has descended thanks to Germany and the other surplus countries depositing their money at the European Central Bank (ECB), which [...]
‘Natural income’ vs ‘decumulation’: what’s the best way to take income from my investments? July 23, 2018 | City Talk The goal of many investors is to build a portfolio that can generate sufficient income to replace traditional sources, but this isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. It is essential to understand the different methods of extracting money from your investments. How money is withdrawn can dramatically affect the length of time until that [...]
Two years on: how Brexit has affected the UK economy July 22, 2018 | City Talk The UK economy was supposed to plunge into recession soon after the vote to leave the EU, but the majority of forecasters were wrong. Consumer confidence remained positive, encouraging increased spending, despite a slowdown in almost every other sector of the economy. As household consumption is a large contributor to GDP growth, it more than [...]
Last Week in the City: August rate rise now less likely July 20, 2018 | City Talk Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (16 to 20 July 2018). The chances of an interest rate rise at the Bank of England’s August meeting appeared to recede this week after inflation data was more subdued than expected and retail sales data [...]
How a World Cup run might turn £1 into £65,000 – the power of investment compounding July 20, 2018 The World Cup is underway, so what better way to explain the miracle effects of compounding than via a football analogy? We recently attended a meeting of company pension fund trustees where the chairman felt the need to clarify one observation with the line: “And, of course, because of compounding, a 10% increase in performance [...]
How might a trade war play out? July 19, 2018 | City Talk The Trump team appears to see trade wars as a central policy rather than a bargaining strategy. With the possible advent of further tariffs on European and Chinese exports, we look at the potential consequences such as higher inflation and lower growth. The impact on interest rates and currencies While the US has begun to [...]
Your financial wellbeing is more than just the money in your bank account and the number on your paycheque July 18, 2018 How healthy are you? The answer might make you cringe, but chances are you’ve probably got an answer. “Relatively fit” or “could do with losing a few pounds” will probably sound familiar. But what if you were asked how financially well you are instead? You might be earning a good salary, but still find yourself [...]
Why is this such a worried bull market? July 18, 2018 | City Talk Normally bull markets are full of people who are optimistic. They radiate enthusiasm for economies and shares. They hunt down markets or individual stocks that look cheap compared to the rest and recommend them. They recommend simply buying the global or local market to join in a general uplift in shares they expect. Eventually you [...]
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