Articles
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No need for a bust up in UK/EU talks
One of my main reasons for backing ‘Leave’ was to guard against the UK being dragged into further EU integration plans. That may seem unlikely today, but barely ten years ago joining the euro was still a live political issue for Britain.
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‘Buy to Let’ challenges in 2017
Following the introduction of new taxes, greater regulation, and reduced interest rate relief, many would have expected there to have been a decrease in the number of properties on the market. But research shows that new rental listings in November rose by nearly 7%, the second successive month of growth.
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Is the UK stock market surge about to slow?
What a start to the new year. Britain’s blue-chip index, the FTSE 100, hurtled to a new record high above 7,200 on the first trading day after the holiday.
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Will 2017 bring another European crisis?
On New Years Day, my lunch guests were unified in the view that the UK’s split with the EU was the defining moment of 2016. However, it’s not just about the UK.
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What does 2017 have in store?
The fall in sterling turned 2016 from a difficult year for UK-based investors into a good one, but with sterling more likely to appreciate in 2017 than weaken further, that tailwind is no longer blowing.
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Italy triggers next Euro-zone crisis
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s resounding referendum defeat on 4th December, and his subsequent resignation, have not caused much market turmoil. But over the long term, the political and financial consequences are difficult to anticipate.
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Uncertainty high in France
Sunday’s final round of the Republican Presidential primary may be decisive for France and Europe in 2017. The winner – either Alain Juppé or François Fillon – would be a major opponent of Front National’s Marine Le Pen next year.
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It’s Trump!
Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States. Much like Brexit, this was widely unanticipated by political commentators, pollsters and investors alike, and the initial market reaction to the result was sharply negative.
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Winners and losers in Sterling’s fall
Just after the vote for Brexit, the pound was in turmoil and fell about 11%. Sterling is falling again and recently fell to its lowest level in more than 30 years.
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Did Portugal’s bailout work?
It is always a pleasure being in Lisbon. Yet, there are more people around my hotel begging for money than I have seen before, and there is certainly not the feeling of an economy emerging strongly after the debt crisis.
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Israel’s cost of living problem
Israel is more expensive than Japan.
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Brazil’s Olympian returns
The Olympics and Paralympics have put Brazil under the spotlight this summer. As well as the fantastic sporting action (with a special nod to Team GB), the country’s stock market proved a real champion.
