One of the few areas to benefit from the 2008 financial crisis was peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, which allows people to bypass the banks with investors able to lend directly to individual borrowers. Cutting out the middleman makes it possible for those with spare cash to earn a higher return and for the borrowers to pay…
It should have been the case that investors in the area of antibiotics development had a smooth ride on the share price front, given the necessity of developing new drugs in this area. The reality has been rather more challenging so far. Clearly, one of the issues when investing in the world of biotech in…
There is something profoundly infantile about the civic leaders (so claimed) of Liverpool. I think we have a national duty to take the p*** out of Liverpool. Otherwise they’ll never grow up. I knew it was a blunder on the part of Michael Howard to send Boris Johnson up to Liverpool to apologise for Boris’s…
Less than three years ago, Tesco (LON:TSCO) was in dire straits. It had recently announced a possible overstatement of profits, its sales growth was negative and its outlook was downbeat. Fast forward to today and the company’s potential for rising profitability as well as an increasing share price is high. The catalyst for this revolution…
As I have been reliably informed that Silver plays are a better play on precious metals than Gold, it seems correct to take a look at the recent recovery in a leading mining minnow. For me, the case for Lithium has always been based on how many of us are driving electric cars. This may…
After some initial enthusiasm, investors are now having second thoughts about the reflation trade and once again pouring more money into bonds, as inflation is expected to remain low for longer than first appeared. But, when yields on a 70-year sovereign are at 1.65%, something must be seriously wrong and it can all only end in tears. Financial markets…
At the Master Investor Show in London on 25 March, which many of my readers will have attended, one question came up again and again to the various luminaries gathered to dispense their insights and knowledge. Where do you foresee Sterling going? Overall, most of the assembled experts, including my friend Evil Knievel, were Sterling…
CPI inflation may have held steady at 2.3% in March, but it is likely to cause intense pressure for UK consumers in future months. A rate of 3%+ looks likely as a weak pound gradually filters its way through into higher costs for UK consumers. Looking ahead, things could therefore get worse for UK retailers.…
Following Tim Price’s article on the slow death of the stockbroker, written from the perspective of a fund manager, here is that of an analyst insider whose City career spanned pre-big bang, when the species hardly existed, to today – when Mifid could be about to hammer a final nail into their coffin. Or maybe not.…
Given that some commentators believe we are on the edge of WWIII, this is a good time to look at a share which appears to be operationally geared to deal with security and terror prevention. Clearly, in the present geopolitical climate and with the clash of cultures in full force, a priority is to make everyone as…
