Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th President of the USA, on arrival he has announced a raft of immediate measures and made a series of threats too. One of these threats is the imposition of new trade tariffs. He has warned both Canada and Mexico they could face 25% import tariffs to the …
Introduction The FTSE 100 hit record highs in January, as Donald Trump took office for the second time. The announcement of US trade tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China have caused some turbulence and whilst the EU seems to be in Trump’s line of sight next, there are strong hints that the UK may have …
UK Government borrowing costs have soared in the wake of its Autumn Budget, with some gilt yields reaching levels not seen since 1998. Yields on the 30-year UK Gilt have reached above 5.22% – higher than at any point since 1998, as the Government looks to sell fresh bonds in order to fund its spending …
Introduction A New Year gives us the chance to look forward. We can expect more change in 2025 for personal finances, with a new Labour budget laid out and a returning President in the US. 2024 was a year of speculation and political change across the world, with President Trump and the Labour Party the …
Introduction The US election provided another definitive moment in what has been a politically charged year. With many countries holding elections in 2024, analysts have been second guessing what markets will do for some time. Whether Trump is popular outside the US is debatable, but his election victory was convincing and markets have responded positively …
The Laffer Curve is a concept accredited to economist Dr. Arthur Laffer. Laffer admitted that whilst he gave it a name, it’s been around as an idea in one form or another since the 14th century, when Muslim philosopher Ibn Khaldun wrote about it. It was also referenced in John Maynard Keynes work. In simple …
Introduction Labour’s first budget for 14 years dominated the headlines, but with a US election in early November and constant attention paid to inflation figures, corporate results and interest cuts around the world, there was plenty of other financial news throughout October. UK £40bn of additional tax revenue was announced by the new Chancellor, Rachel …
Cuts to interest rates are a key financial news theme in 2024 and we don’t expect that to change in 2025. Many central banks across the world are looking to reduce interest rates as inflation figures slowly return to normal. It is often heralded as great news for mortgage borrowers, but what about investors? Financial …
Introduction The Fed cut interest rates in September which, despite the Bank of England holding at 5%, is now expected to be the direction of travel for much of the developed world as it returns to some form of financial normality into 2025. China’s financial stimulus was another big story in September, as it was …
Speaking in the Downing Street ‘rose garden’, made famous during the pandemic for lockdown parties and ‘that’ Dominic Cummings interview, Keir Starmer delivered a sobering speech on 27th August that sets the tone for the budget at the end of October. It’s “going to be painful” he said, asking the country to “accept short-term pain …
