A Different Perspective
Asking the Right Questions
Retirement Planning Considerations Amidst the Market Noise
The headline news has been dominated by Greece over the last few months, the closure of Greek banks and pictures of queuing pensioners all adding to the sense of fear among ordinary investors planning for retirement. The uncertainty and the risk of contagion across the financial system has certainly added to equity market volatility, with huge swings in the major indices. Read More
Charlie Munger: Sage Advice from a True Great!
They say behind every great man is a great woman. Well sometimes behind a great man is an equally great man. In the investment world, such is the case with Warren Buffett and his business partner Charlie Munger, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Corporation respectively. Read More
Market Recap: Week of June 29th 2015
Market Recap
Global equity markets were mixed last week with stellar gains in Europe on the prospect of a deal being reached between Greece and its creditors while US equity markets lagged, weighed down by a stronger US dollar. The greenback recorded its biggest weekly advance since May, lifted by stronger US economic data and hence the increased likelihood the Fed will reach lift off mode on rate hikes later this year. The moped ride in Chinese equities became even more hazardous, as the early week rally gave way to a vicious sell-off on Friday. For the most part, government bond yields of the major countries moved higher last week. Read More
Greek ship stranded at sea without a paddle…..
I’ve written on the Greek drama quite a bit recently, as this crisis has been needlessly dragged out and now appears to be heading for a disorderly eruption, the extent of which Europe’s leaders may be underestimating. The decision by the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsparis to announce a “bailout referendum” for July 5th, to let the Greek people decide on whether to accept the offer from international creditors, has further complicated an already messy situation. Germany’s Angela Merkel told reporters on Friday that the Greek government should accept their “very generous” offer. Now it is in the hands of the Greek people, who are more likely to vote “No thanks”. Read More
Thoughts on health and my climb for Parkinson’s
In my previous experience working in wealth management with individual private clients, the focus of my role was providing advice on investments to help people reach their personal and retirement goals. However, most often I would find that people had no idea what those goals were, what they were looking to achieve or when they wanted to achieve it. They simply wanted to make money, to build wealth, even at the expense of their health, caught in that cycle of working more to earn more. Read More
Greek crisis talks, adults needed!
Global equity markets struggled to gain momentum last week as Greece continued to dominate the headlines, with the Greek banking system now on emergency life support from the ECB. There was no progress made at the Eurogroup meeting of finance ministers on Thursday, as the Greeks remained unwilling to give into demands for reform of the country’s pension system. The situation was summed up by Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF): “For the moment we are short of a dialogue, the key emergency is to restore the dialogue with adults in the room”. Read More
Market Recap: Week of June 22nd
Market Recap
Global equity markets struggled to gain momentum last week as Greece continued to dominate the headlines, with the Greek banking system now on emergency life support from the ECB. The major US equity indices bucked the trend, as US Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen reminded investors that while the first rate hike may be imminent, the pace of rate hikes will be gradual. The standout last week was China’s Shanghai Composite Index, which fell 13.32%! Yields on government bonds were broadly lower over the week. Read More
Capital Allocation: The Football Transfer Market
Well, the 2015/2016 English Premier League fixtures are out. Only seven weekends until the opening day of the season and judging by Liverpool’s fixture list, it might be only a further 11 weeks till we’re planning for next season, unless there is some drastic action in the transfer market. Easier said than done of course. We’re now in silly season, the transfer window, where ludicrous values are assigned to players with no bearing on fundamentals. The easy money that has flooded financial markets has also been flowing through top tier football for years, inflating prices to record highs, feeding a growing disconnect with the grassroots of the world. Read More
Investing in local Chinese Equities; akin to riding a moped in China
Investing in local Chinese equities is a bit like riding a moped in China, crowded and very dangerous! Last week, the Shanghai Composite Index of mainland Chinese equities fell 13.3%, the worst weekly decline since 2008. This is the second time this year we’ve seen a correction of more than 10%; it fell 10% in two days at the end of May. The index then rose sharply to a new high on Friday June 12th, before the decline last week. While the index is still up almost 40% YTD and more than double the level a year ago, new investors lured by the near parabolic move in stocks will certainly be hurting. Read More
Market Recap: Week of June 15th 2015
Market Recap
Global equity markets ended the week relatively flat as the Greek crisis dominated the headlines, against a backdrop of mixed economic data. US economic data showed positive signs that the economy is regaining momentum after a disappointing start to the year. Meanwhile, the World Bank downgraded their forecast for global GDP growth in 2015 to 2.8%. The economic weakness in China continued as imports fell more than expected in May, down 17.6% from a year earlier. Read More
