The greater a market’s valuation, the smaller the likely future returns November 15, 2017 The growing willingness for investors to pay higher and higher prices for stocks is a real cause for concern. For instance, US index, the S&P 500, has only ever been more expensive on two previous occasions – just before the dotcom bubble burst in 2000 and in the build-up to the Great Crash of 1929 [...]
Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy at the Tate Modern: Exhibition focusing on a single year in the life of the great artist shows the sheer audacity of genius March 9, 2018 By the age of 50, Picasso’s days as a starving artist were long behind him. His paintings sold for fortunes despite the gathering economic gloom; he and his former-ballerina wife were courted by politicians and socialites; he was preparing to be celebrated by a major Paris retrospective, a rarity then for a living artist. [...]
Picasso 1932: Love, Fame, Tragedy at the Tate Modern: Exhibition focusing on a single year in the life of the great artist shows the sheer audacity of genius March 9, 2018 By the age of 50, Picasso’s days as a starving artist were long behind him. His paintings sold for fortunes despite the gathering economic gloom; he and his former-ballerina wife were courted by politicians and socialites; he was preparing to be celebrated by a major Paris retrospective, a rarity then for a living artist. [...]
Low rates, record high stocks: is the bubble about to burst? October 26, 2017 The world is, seemingly, in a bull market in everything. Just take a few headlines from this month alone: US stocks, already at all-time highs, hit a sixth consecutive closing high, which is the first time that has happened for 20 years. In debt markets, Ireland issued a bond with a negative yield, which means [...]
The Long Weekend: La Donaira, a luxury equestrian farm in Andalusia March 29, 2018 Located in the sweeping hills high above the town of Ronda, Finca La Donaira’s vistas look more like Saharan Africa than the south of Spain. With 250 hectares of farmland sprawled out in every direction, this organic farm and equestrian centre is a retreat from reality. Since 2006 the farmland has been revitalised and regenerated [...]
The fast and the curious: Answers to all your questions about short term fasting for health July 11, 2018 Last week I wrote about completing a three day water fast, during which I ate and drank nothing but… water. Since then I’ve received messages from people all over the world wanting to know more. Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions. Is it dangerous? Despite fasting having been around for thousands [...]
UK house prices: Country property prices are much higher than those in the city September 30, 2017 Rural house prices are a fifth more expensive those in cities outside London, according to the Halifax. The average country house price is £263,050, compared with the average urban price of £218,596. The biggest difference is in the West Midlands, where prices are almost 50 per cent more. “Homeowners looking to escape to the country [...]
Five charts that explain the case for emerging markets October 8, 2018 Investors generally understand the importance of emerging markets in terms of their economic impact but, perhaps due to lack of knowledge, often struggle to know how best to reflect this in their portfolios. Those investors have ignored what are some of the world's best-performing financial markets since the turn of the millennium. What is more, [...]
Bitcoin faces another split as scaling debate rages within the community September 20, 2017 Bitcoin may be in for another bump in the road after prices levelled out this week, hovering around the $4,000 level after a recent plunge below $3,000. The famously volatile cryptocurrency has shot up from less than $600 this time last year to an all-time high of more than $5,000 earlier this month, according to [...]
Should Mark Zuckerberg step down? April 4, 2018 THE CEO HAS changed. That’s no longer a secret. For the first time in history, chief executives and business leaders are virtually expected to be in the public eye, communicating with the customer and offering opinions on social and political issues. This can have commercial benefits. People buy from other people: therefore if organisations leverage [...]