About Nicholas Grogan

The second quarter of 2021 has seen most major markets continue on an upward path. For once, the UK, as measured by the FTSE 100 was not the laggard, as that prize went to Japan. However, in Q2 the FTSE 100 was still behind the overall global equity performance of 6.8% in sterling terms. This

Building an investment portfolio requires a mixture of investment science and common sense. The evidence suggests timing when to be in and out of markets (or sectors, or companies) is extremely difficult. It also suggests identifying a manager who can persistently beat the market is very hard to do in advance. We, therefore, focus on

We sometimes refer to the way we invest as mostly being a ‘systematic’ approach. It is our duty to do what is right for our clients. When investing, we build on a foundation of facts. This is because we believe we would be doing our clients a disservice if we did it any other way.

There is no doubt buy-to-let residential property has been profitable for some. However, it is not without considerable risks. These risks include increasing taxes, rent arrears, voids, dilapidations and many more. Any landlord effectively needs to run a small business. There is also the misconception that residential property only ever goes up in value. When

What is an equity (or share)? An equity (or share) represents ownership of part of a company. This gives you a right to your share of any dividends paid and a claim on the company’s assets. Returns from equities come from changes in the price of the shares and dividends paid out. Are all equities

This may seem an obvious question with an obvious answer. In some ways it is. We believe investing to be the means of building wealth to fund lifestyle and personal choices. It is a slow, emotional, and sometimes painful process requiring a robust plan, patiently executed over many years. Anyone hoping to get rich quick

One key reason directors are looking at investing money in their businesses is low interest rates. Directors could be increasingly concerned at the poor returns available on deposit accounts. However, despite this, they will have the comfort of knowing the funds will be available when they may be required. In addition to the above There

Equity markets have had a much quieter first three months in 2021 than they did last year. The FTSE 100 appears to remain a laggard, but that ignores the recent strength of sterling. Similarly, the standout 10.3% rise of the Euro Stoxx 50 drops to 2.1% when we factor in the decline in the Euro.

The number of underperforming, or “dog”, funds has risen by a third this year, new data has shown. This is partly due to the gulf between the performance of different styles of investing. The pandemic has exacerbated this, but value and income investing have lagged behind growth investing for a while. How bad could having

The Covid-19 pandemic has produced the most pronounced economic shock in nearly a century. In 2020, recessions around the world were sharp and deep, with significant supply-chain disruptions at times. That said, perhaps more than in previous recessions, policymakers were aggressive in supporting financial markets and their economies. While the global economy continues to recover

We have written a post previously about focusing on income when investing. I wanted to go into some of the evidence behind focusing on income when investing not being the best strategy. When looking at this, there is probably no more famous theory in Finance than Modigliani/Miller. Known as the Dividend Irrelevance Hypothesis it says investors

Market conditions change all the time. Investors may wonder if they should change the composition of their portfolios to reflect this. How could I change the level of risk my portfolio takes? The portfolios we build for our clients align to ten risk profiles. These range from investing purely in cash to more speculative investments

It is always important to manage expectations when investing. We often get questions about whether there is an explicit time someone must invest for how accessible the money is. How long do I have to invest for? If you are investing in an investment account or an ISA, then technically you could invest the money

Many investors are worried about the US election’s effect on the stock market. One school of thought is a Biden victory could lead to measures that would hit businesses. Another asserts the stock market prefers Republican victories. What does the data say? The logic of efficient markets is that anticipated events do not impact prices.

The pace of the global economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic appears uneven. Recent US economic data has been at the optimistic end of expectations. However, activity in the UK, where Brexit looms large again, has lagged forecasts. The risks of a second Covid-19 wave (and, potentially, more severe lockdowns) are growing. But so too

As discussed in a previous post, National Savings & Investments have cut the rates they offer to savers. For most of our clients, we only see cash as a way to cover short term obligations which we looked at here. However, we have a very small number of clients who have pensions and have not

National Savings & Investments has significantly cut the rates it offers to savers. Savings analysts have long kept one eye on NS&I’s next move. The bank helps to fund the Government’s spending, so it has to balance the rates paid to savers with the cost to the Treasury. NS&I had planned cuts earlier this year.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is floating the idea of new rules designed to improve investor experiences in open-ended UK Commercial Property Funds. Most are currently suspended due to uncertainties on the value of the properties because of the COVID pandemic. In the past, they have placed restrictions on withdrawals due to a lack of

Investing for the financial future of children and grandchildren are key areas of concern for parents and grandparents. This can be for various reasons including funding education or helping them to buy a house in the future. There are special rules to consider when investments are made for the benefit of, or on behalf of,

This month has some welcome positive news. There was an increased likelihood of economic growth picking up in China as early as the second quarter. While economies are recovering in many parts of the world, they are a long way from where they would have been in the absence of Covid-19. Predictions are that global

Markets have continued to make progress in May, encouraged by further evidence in the developed world of an easing of both Covid-19 related deaths and new cases. There is strong evidence the lockdown measures put in place in Europe have delivered the desired results. Countries such as Denmark and Germany, where restrictions have eased more

Although many spend a lot of time trying to, no one can accurately predict the future. If I could, I doubt the Governments of the world let me spend my time dealing with investment portfolios. Because we do not know which investments will outperform, we invest money into a wide variety of them. We know

Something happened yesterday which has never happened before. The Debt Management Office (DMO), the Treasury arm charged with the task of selling government debt, sold £3.8bn worth of gilts at a negative yield. The stock concerned was 0¾% Treasury 2023 and the average yield was -0.003%. There was no shortage of market interest as they could have

There is a debate about whether gold makes for a good way to protect portfolios against stock market declines or rising inflation. When I was at school the currency of the playground was premier league stickers. If you had a “shiny” you could command a higher price than the standard card. Deep down, there is

After the events of the first quarter of 2020, world stock markets bounced back in April. The US market was the standout performer, enjoying the best month since 1987. Over March the S&P 500 rose by more than 14%. Indeed, the index is up by 30% from its 23 March low, meaning that the US

Watching your portfolio’s returns go up and down can be an emotionally trying experience. Rebalancing to a predetermined, diversified asset mix makes it so you do not have to worry about market instability as much. Having a suitable mix of assets in your portfolio can serve as a buffer against extreme swings in the market.

Whether you want to spread your risk Let us look at four scenarios where you have your money in shares in: a single company, Many companies in the same industry in the same country, Many companies in many industries in the same country or, Many companies in many industries in many countries around the world.