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Sign up to our newsletterThe IMF’s title of the April 2022 World Economic Outlook, leaving us in no doubt the invasion of Ukraine contributes to the downward revision of global growth. The facts of the war have not changed: Russian forces are still invading and Ukraine is still resisting, fuelling our lack of surprise on the growth picture, as well
Russian invasion continues to dominate markets with uncertainty March saw the continued humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which, unsurprisingly, still dominates the markets. The lack of certainty, and ability to predict any outcome, with any degree of reliable interpretation, has the knock-on effect of extreme shifts in the markets.
Russian invasion of Ukraine sees investors flight to safety February saw Russian president Vladimir Putin launch a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine at the cost of real humanitarian consequences. The move came despite threats from the major economies of the EU, US and UK warning of their intention to impose economic sanctions in retaliation. The invasion has shocked
Global shockwaves for the markets There has been a brutal sell-off within the equity markets, fuelling the narrative for January 2022 of market “shockwaves” and predicting a further bumpy ride ahead. From a pure macro perspective, this appears to be as result of the end of the ‘Covid cycle’ that has driven markets for the
Pre-Christmas interest rate rise sends message At the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on the 15th December, the committee voted by a majority of 8-1 to increase the bank rate by 0.15 to 0.25%. With many thinking the rise would come in November, the MPC show they are still able to surprise us by
Responding to, or causing, shocks? BoE leaves rate unchanged The Bank of England (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee, in its November meeting, set out once more how they maintain inflation is expected to depart from the target of 2% as the economy responds to “shocks”. But then delivered their own shock to the market, with a 7-2
The ‘no-wow’ budget October saw the UK government’s autumn budget announcement amongst widespread criticism for its lack of wow factor. In Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s words, the focus is very much on the “post-COVID era”, so it was no surprise to see measures designed to relieve some of the pressures on retail, hospitality and leisure businesses,
Stress-testing UK optimism From bouncing recovery to realism around rising inflation and global trade dips, the optimism around the recovery in the UK comes under pressure, with ‘wait and see’ uncertainty around furlough, growth and trade. Despite CPI (Consumer Price Index) rising to 3.1% in September, the Bank of England (BoE), continuing its expectation of
Bank of England’s party line continues The Bank of England’s (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee meeting on the 4th August saw the agreement to keep the current stance on maintaining interest rates well and truly firm, with a unanimous vote that they remain unchanged at 0.1%. Although the Committee suggested they may raise interest rates later in the year,
Freedom or farce? The halfway recovery picture Freedom Day on 19th July was intended to mark our return to a pre-pandemic life, with the month also seeing the halfway point in the year of recovery. But with news on the day reporting confusion for businesses amid the rising ‘pingdemic’, and the ensuing effect of staff isolations
UK inflation exceeds 2% target – a sign of recovery? The strength of the economic recovery as the UK emerges from lockdown has seen inflation rise to 2.1%, the highest it’s been in two years, and hitting and exceeding the target of 2% set by the Bank of England (BoE). However, the BoE has suggested
UK economy still short of a bounce back Headlines declaring the prediction of the “strongest economic growth since WWII” by the Bank of England have certainly grabbed investors’ attention, and fit the positive narrative created by the recent, previous prediction of a 7% growth rate for the UK economy. But… there is a but coming.
Surprising market recovery signs amidst coronavirus Coronavirus continues to dominate the headlines as much as ever due to its significant effect on the world’s markets and investor behaviour. But you might be surprised that even within this COVID-19 context, just how positive the outlook is predicted to be and how recovered some aspects of the
What does the COVID-19 recovery mean for investors? Here we are, one year on from COVID-19 when lockdowns became a part of our reality all across the globe. For investors, and potential investors, COVID-19 has affected so many aspects of the markets. But now the outlook is improving, should we remain cautious? 2020 effects on
The main rhetoric this month has been the threat of rising inflation rates leading to some sections of financial markets to reduce exposure towards government bonds. The inflationary pressure also made its way through to many equity markets as investors speculated rising inflation rates may see central banks begin to withdraw monetary stimulus packages. Could
As 2021 rolls in, so does another lockdown – businesses are closed, schools are shut and the ever-familiar rhetoric of ‘stay at home’ is the main message. As expected, the lockdowns are hurting UK economic figures, recent results show that the UK economy is approximately 8.5% smaller than pre COVID-19 levels. All this news comes
December 2020 Overall December saw us caught between optimism about potential vaccines and pessimism about the second wave of coronavirus infections. There were outcomes both in the US with regards to the presidential election and the UK’s trade agreement with the EU. As we reflect on December, the UK displayed a worrying decline in GDP.
This month Coronavirus looks to be starting the winter resurgence officials had feared; with the UK daily infection rates climbing rapidly into the thousands.
At Macdonald Wealth, a lot of my clients are anxious. They’re worried about the impact the pandemic will have on the stock market, and what that means for their pension.
It has taken just six months for the market to recover all those losses with a large portion of the gains coming from the US tech giants dominating the index.
This October, we’re moving into new offices in Cheltenham’s prestigious Royal Crescent. I’ve also hired a fantastic new team member, who has been an invaluable addition to the business.
This month markets have shown political unrest is no match for central bank stimulus. We have seen a large increase in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) bond purchase programme as it added €600bn to take the total to €1.3trn while in the UK government debt to GDP breached 100 per cent for the first time in nearly 60 years.
Some of us are great at planning. But most people (including me) tend to put things off. A lot of the customers who talk to me at Macdonald Wealth have a similar story. Does this sound like you?
Financial planning needn’t been seen as complex. We misjudge planning, perceiving it as difficult, unnecessary or a preserve of the super-rich. None of these things are strictly true.
Growing any business takes determination and hard work. I founded Macdonald Wealth from a genuine desire to help others; to grow their aspirations, to make a better, more secure future possible.
The term “wealth management” covers an array of services, combining Financial Planning, Investment Management, Estate and Tax Planning. Macdonald Wealth seeks to address three main issues: the deployment of your wealth during your lifetime; preserving your wealth and finally, planning the distribution of your wealth.
Our investment management strategy starts with you, our client. We believe it is more important to manage your portfolio to meet your risk objectives than to chase short-term returns, so we will design your unique portfolio to meet your individual needs and attitude to risk.
Retirement planning involves structuring your assets in the right way as to enable you to have the right amount of money at your disposal at the right time. Indeed, retirement planning can be one of the most challenging elements of managing your wealth and arguably the most important. How much you should put aside, where
Tax planning refers to the use of perfectly legitimate tax mitigation strategies to minimise the erosion of your wealth. The UK taxation system is notorious for its complexity, with a variety of levies payable on income, capital gains and inheritance at different levels and at different times for different people. Having the help of a