Asking the Right Questions
My American adventure: making an impact in Xela
Hola mis amigos It is Wednesday evening here in Xela, Guatemala. I am writing from my apartment, with my panoramic backdrop of the city surrounded by the mountains, the various shades of blue as the mountains and sky meet before the night sets in…
Reflecting on the role of an adviser
The role of an adviser is not simply to provide answers; it is about helping clients ask the right questions. This has always been my core philosophy for how I approach my advisory relationships. I have been working in an advisory role since 2005, starting in…
World Bank forecasts higher global economic growth
The World Bank has embraced the early year optimism on the outlook for the global economy. In their latest quarterly economic report, the World Bank forecasts a moderate acceleration in global economic growth, up from an estimated post-crisis low of 2.3% in 2016 to…
Trump rally defies market consensus
Market Recap There is no doubt that last week will be a week to remember for the world, the election of Donald Trump as President. For all the fear around such a result in the lead up to voting day, it turned out to…
US Presidential Election: The Nuclear Option
Donald Trump bad. Hilary Clinton good. That is the general narrative on most discussions around the impact of the 2016 US Presidential election on the global economy, the US economy and the Irish economy. The Economist Magazine has become the latest media publication to…
Einstein, Mourinho & Active Management
Albert Einstein said the eighth wonder of the world was compounding but it seems Jose Mourinho must have taken to reading Einstein’s work during his time off after his Chelsea sacking. The Manchester United manager continues to sarcastically refer to football pundits as ‘Einsteins’…
Economic Growth and Asset Prices…..
The OECD released their latest Interim Economic Outlook, warning that “the global economy is projected to grow at a slower pace this year than in 2015, with only a modest uptick expected in 2017”. This is another case of groundhog day, for years now…
Retirement planning; the future is not that far away
In the film “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly transported from 1985 to the year 2015 in the Doc’s DeLorean time machine. The fact that they had flying cars in the future shows how far away 2015 seemed to those in 1985. Now while…
Key points from Janet Yellen’s speech
In April I wrote a blog “Central banks and the certain uncertainty paradox”, reminding everyone that these institutions are no more certain than anyone else about how economic conditions will unfold. Still, market participants continue to hang on every word from the leaders of…
Gold, scarcity and supernovas
“There is something a bit odd about the value we attach to gold. Throughout history people have gone to extraordinary lengths to get their hands on this most precious substance which is strange because it is isn’t particularly useful for anything…but it has got…
