We hope you are all extremely well and are enjoying the familiar return of our cold and wet weather, political infighting, the endless stream of football, bugs and, for UK investors at least, stock market weakness. As readers may be all too aware, September is known as a seasonally weak month for stocks, however, global […]

We hope you’ve marvelled at the many sporting and musical spectacles over the summer. Indeed, we hope such triumphs have bestowed you with a renewed sense of hope and optimism about the future. That certainly ‘was’ the position of this author; at least up until this most recent weekend…. at which point the Gallagher brothers […]

We hope you’re all extremely well and have enjoyed, or will enjoy, a restful and reenergising break over the summer. Turning to stocks and, unfortunately, it’s looking less likely markets will offer us a benign window in which to fully enjoy a vacation. Though stocks delivered reasonable returns across July, a vicious sting in the […]

The election result is big news and likely to dominate headlines. I’d like to share our stance from a financial advice and investing perspective. Long story short, there is little connection between the change in government and the investment markets, although we’ll be keeping a close eye on taxes and other relevant policy changes. We […]

We hope you’re all extremely well and are enjoying both the surge in temperature and in sporting spectacles, be it Wimbledon, Formula One or the T20 Cricket. Of course, I suspect many of us will have also been watching the football, but I know it would be a stretch to suggest one might have ‘enjoyed’ […]

We hope you’re all extremely well and are enjoying the anticipated onset of summer anticipation? We are certain it will begin soon?? Regardless of temperature, it’s always an exciting time of year for this author as the sporting calendar really kicks into gear with Wimbledon, The Open golf, The European Championship Football tournament and, of […]

We hope you’re all extremely well and are enjoying the surge in temperatures? It even reached as high has 15°C in this author’s garden later in the month. In fact, I almost had the opportunity to take my coat off later in the month, before the rain came pouring in. Let’s hope the summer kicks […]

Equity markets continued their impressive form in March, delivering further gains and rounding out a quite stunning first quarter. Although the loosely defined US Tech sector, particularly those associated with the Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) theme, made the most significant contribution to Q1 returns, in March we saw a broadening of equity market participation. Of note […]

We hope you are all extremely well and are enjoying the rich trappings that come with this time of year, dark afternoons, cold weather, rain, viruses and English rugby defeats. Admittedly, the final reference may warm the heart depending on from where you hail, but for this author it adds to the seasonal gloom. At […]

VouchedFor has released its Top Rated Financial Advisers Guide for 2024, and we’re thrilled to announce that our adviser David O’Connor, has again qualified as Top Rated Adviser. The guide, which is distributed by The Times, celebrates the UK’s best financial advice organisations based on genuine client feedback. As Chartered Financial Planner, David can draw […]

We hope you’re extremely well and have settled into the rhythm of 2024 with ease and, despite the many challenges which lay ahead, are looking to the future with (at least measured) enthusiasm. Such a condition certainly describes the position of this author, though cynics may define our Cautious OPtimism Over Uncertain Times as a […]

Where else to begin than to wish you all a very happy New Year. We trust you had a fun, restful and replenishing break, and you’re excited about the opportunities that present in the year ahead. This author certainly is, though having eaten my own bodyweight in Roses over the festive period, I can’t yet […]

We hope you are keeping well, and that you’re managing to get business sufficiently in order, so that you may enjoy a restful and replenishing festive break. The holiday season is just a few weeks away, however, and there seems a daunting amount of work still to do, with no shortage of market uncertainty prevailing, […]

We hope you are keeping well, and that you’re managing to navigate the challenges of both Storm Ciarán and investment unease. No doubt the former is highly disruptive and not without consequence, however, its legacy should soon pass. Investment anxiety, however, is probably a more persistent experience, and just like the winds which blow onto […]

We hope you are keeping well, and that you’ve enjoyed a rejuvenating summer. A ‘return to school’ has helped put an extra spring in this author’s step too, though I concede the productivity gains were likely neutralised by the drama of the Ryder Cup opening day. The ebbs and flows of success made for highly […]

We hope you are keeping well and have enjoyed a rejuvenating break at some stage over the summer, or at least are about too. There was much to cheer over the summer, not least the impressive achievements of our athletes in Budapest and fearless Lionesses in Australia, however, markets couldn’t quite match these heights. Indeed, […]

We hope you are keeping well and have enjoyed or are about to enjoy a well-deserved summer break. Unfortunately, cooler and damper domestic conditions have frustrated ‘staycationers’ and English cricket fans alike, however, the punishing and brutal heatwave engulfed much of continental Europe is of far more concern. We hope, therefore, wherever you found or […]

We hope you are keeping well and are enjoying the warmer conditions, along with the seasonal festival and sporting indulgences. Perhaps moods would be euphoric but for the cursed menace of inflation. The policy response from the Bank of England seems intent to drive a recession into our economy, culling demand and curtailing price hikes. […]

A slightly celebratory atmosphere hangs over markets currently, albeit with momentum stalling in May. Year-to-date performance remains impressive, however, global stock markets delivered a broadly sideways move over the month. Sterling investors did enjoy modest gains at least, given the strength of the dollar and dollar assets which dominate global indices. Beneath the surface, however, […]

We hope you are keeping well and have enjoyed the string of bank holidays falling so kindly upon us this season despite the rather damp conditions. Clouds continue to hang over markets too, though April was broadly a positive one for investors. But it’s often the case that markets climb a ‘wall of worry’, as […]

We hope you are keeping well and haven’t let the wetter conditions dampen spirits. Forecasts suggest more benign conditions are ahead; might the same be true for markets? We certainly see a similar stoic resilience of late, with investments holding up remarkably well in the face of a prospective banking crisis. Indeed, the swift collapse […]

VouchedFor has released its Top Rated Financial Advisers Guide for 2023, and we’re delighted to announce that our adviser David O’Connor has qualified as Top Rated Adviser. The guide, distributed by The Times, identifies and celebrates the UK’s best financial advice firms, all based on client feedback. Drawing on years of experience and knowledge, our chartered financial planner […]

We hope you are keeping well amidst this latest cold snap. Forecasts suggest we may have to be a little patient before spring really kicks on – but then we know only too well of the fallibility of forecasts… across all domains! Turning to investment and it’s not just the weather which has cooled. After […]

We hope you are keeping well, and fighting fit after a month of zero calories and daily exercise? Unfortunately, this author wasn’t quite able to hit the nutritional and training targets set out in his new year resolutions, but optimism remains for the year ahead!? Turning to investment and we also see optimism permeating market […]

We hope you are keeping well, have enjoyed some down time over the festive break and are feeling more equipped for the challenges in the year ahead. That is certainly the case for this recharged (though somewhat heavier) author! Turning to investments and in a year so bereft of good news it was, at least, […]

We hope you are keeping well and are preparing yourselves adequately for the festive season and enjoy some well-earned downtime (and calories) after something of an annus horribilis. In a year so sparse of good news it has, at least, been pleasing to observe the equity market recovery in October, continued through November. In fact, […]

We hope you are keeping well and enjoying these relatively benign autumn temperatures? Conditions have been less comfortable in Downing Street last month of course, as Liz Truss unceremoniously left office, to be replaced by the seemingly steadier and more experienced Rishi Sunak. It is too early to make bold claims about the likely success […]

We hope you are keeping well as the summer finally draws to a close. Unfortunately, the cooler temperatures have not been mimicked in financial markets since our last correspondence with the news flow really heating up, particularly in the corridors of Westminster; a topic we shall return to later. But of course, the dominant news […]