What April showed us (perhaps unexpectedly) is that financial markets are also capable of extraordinary optimism in the face of genuine uncertainty. The so-called “TACO trade” -shorthand for the belief that Trump always backs down when economic pain becomes acute enough – powered equity indices higher even as the disruption continued. The S&P 500 closed …
The Bank of England has held rates again, and while the wider outlook continues to evolve, this is a useful moment to review what it could mean for mortgages, savings and longer-term financial plans. The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held its base rate at 3.75% on 30 April, against a backdrop …
At the end of February we were talking about the FTSE 100 edging towards 11,000 with rumblings of a possible energy crisis clouding the horizon as news of the bombing of Iran broke. US President Trump gave us plenty more to talk about by the end of March. Markets were volatile, reacting to the slightest …
Introduction President Trump has once again hijacked the headlines with a strike on Iran at the very end of February. The implications are yet to be understood. It took some attention away from the UK government’s latest headache, a by-election loss to the Green Party, and a mixed bag of economic results. Meanwhile, the FTSE …
There is a feverish interest in whether the ‘AI bubble’ really exists and a lot of scrutiny on financial results as they are published. The attention is not just on the ‘Magnificent Seven’, but a range of technology stocks which are heavily committed to artificial intelligence. With this in mind, we will start our round …
In 2024 the talk was all about monetary normalisation, as central bank’s sought to bring inflation under control and interest rates back down. In 2025 we could barely get through a month without talking about President Trump and his trade tariffs. The noise now is about the AI bubble and the dominance of US technology …
The political background The chancellor Rachel Reeves has been under enormous pressure all year. In addition to some major economic headwinds, she has faced political battles on several fronts. Even her own MPs rebelled when she tried to save money through benefits cuts. The media reduced her choices down to two simple options. Break the …
Introduction The Autumn Statement on 26th November dominated British headlines. In the US the longest government shutdown in history came to an end, and China will hope that the trade war ceasefire will start to show improving results in their end of year economic performance. UK After months of speculation, the Autumn Statement finally arrived, …
The Autumn 2025 Budget included several changes that may affect households, and businesses. We’ve highlighted the key points below, with more detail to follow in our December newsletter. If you have any concerns about how the updates might impact you, please do get in touch. Our top 3 key planning takeaways are: Venture Capital Trust (VCT)* …
We’ve seen record highs in equity markets, a ceasefire in the Middle East, better than expected inflation figures, and surprisingly good UK retail sales performance. Despite this, the pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves is relentless as she heads towards another Autumn Statement on 26th November, where she is expected to face more criticism and possibly …
