Category: Business

Castles in the Air

This is the view from the top floor looking north. The futuristic office building on the left is The Ark. To the right, the chocolate and white striped building is a Novotel.

Art at the Merrion

Sated with opera and black pudding we drove up the M11 to Dublin on Monday morning. Six of us in a hire car with our bags is cosy and, sportingly, the General took the rear gunner’s seat at the back. We met the Judge and Mr and Mrs Dog Lover for lunch at the Merrion.

Food for Thought

FTSE is down 1.6% this morning and holding above 7,000 – so far. A good moment to see how defensive my portfolio is.

Big Money

Giving investment advice often is like showing off a garden – “if only you’d come last week”. Strangely, although equity markets are very high and international trade will be impacted by US tariffs and Brexit, there are some opportunities.

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Plantation News

Here is something that is baffling and boring at the same time.

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Gaucho

Investec winces at being called a stock broker, it prefers to be known as a wealth manager – how common. It is perhaps not surprising that this financial services behemoth sponsors sporting events including the Epsom Derby.

Scottish Mortgage

Two years ago I started buying Monks Investment Trust and told you why at the time: A Pug Called Sherbet. It has gone up by around 70%. On the same day two years ago I added to my holding in Scottish Mortgage. Both investment trusts, as it happens, are managed by Baillie Gifford.

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Playing Footsie

I don’t have a big appetite but it’s time that I had a big helping of humble pie. At the beginning of this year I was confident there would be a collapse in the value of equities. FTSE went below 7,000 for a nano-second and I expected a rout. Since then it has been stuck… Continue reading Playing Footsie

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British Empire Trust

I find it reassuring when a company sticks to its original name, no matter how inappropriate it may have become. Carphone Warehouse is an example and British Empire Trust, founded in 1889, another. It was pointed out to me by a friend who took me to lunch at Mon Plaisir in Seven Dials this week.

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Frontier Market

I started to invest in Vietnam at the beginning of June and now hold three funds that are showing a loss of 2.5%. It is a volatile market in which to invest for the long term so I’m not worried. Indeed one of my funds, VinaCapital, advises investors to take a five year view.

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