One big question mark hangs over the markets right now: What effect will the normalisation of monetary policy – by which we mean the gradual withdrawal of quantitative easing (QE) and an increase in interest rates – have on the global financial system and the economy? Many commentators, not least our very own Jim Mellon,…
Emmanuel Macron and the Goblet of Fire French President Emmanuel Macron is a dynamic young wizard. But the fundamental reform of France may be beyond even his magical powers. One year in He established a centrist political movement out of nothing (La République En Marche or REM) and was elected Head of State on its ticket…
It’s late April in LA, it’s raining, and it’s time for the annual Milken Institute jamboree. Anthony Chow and I are here, having been relieved of a large sum in order to attend. As with most conferences, the true value is in the networking effect, not so much in what is said at the various…
The Alternative Investment Market – also known as “AIM” – provokes controversy in the investment community. Some see it as little better than a casino, useful for short-term trading at best; others see it as an ideal forum for the industrious private investor to seek out opportunities for growth. What is for certain is that…
We always knew that Donald Trump was a badass. What we didn’t know (though the stock markets kind of knew) was whether his rag-bag of policies might just work… Hail to the Tweet! The 45th President of the United States is an outsider – a maverick who refuses to play by the book. His management style…
One of the most influential things I have ever seen is a presentation on YouTube. Its formal title is Arithmetic, Population and Energybut it is described, for once, I think, without too much exaggeration, as The most important video you’ll ever see. You can judge for yourself and watch it here. The presenter is the…
Well-off Aussies and Kiwis prefer to invest their hard-earned dollars in bricks and mortar. With home prices softening in the Antipodes, this could be a good moment to buy. Housing? No worries, mate Australians and New Zealanders can be very British. There is nothing they like more to chat about over a cup of tea,…
New Zealand is a land of moderate weather, politics and economic policy. Growth prospects for the New Zealand stock market this year are also moderately good. Kia-Ora! When you enter New Zealand the passport check is accomplished by robots – but getting through the bio-security channel is lengthy and troublesome. If you have so much as…
Normal service was somewhat delayed by the exigencies of the road trip I have been on for two weeks to Asia and Australia. My colleague Anthony Chow and I have been doing the crossover (i.e. pre-IPO) institutional/UHNW (ultra-high net worth) round for Juvenescence Ltd and the result has been that by the time I get…
Australian politics has much in common with the country’s most famous TV soap. But the real issue right now is whether Australia can sustain its remarkable prosperity in a more uncertain world. Everybody needs good neighbours: Mr Turnbull under pressure On 09 April The Australianproclaimed that Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian Prime Minister, had “lost” the…
