Christmas Newsletter 15/12/2022 Season’s Greetings From Longbon & Company 2022 is one of those (few) years that, were my grandmother still alive, she would have used a very, very large broom to sweep it away, on the strike of Big Ben.  The world has been ravaged.  Not only has it had to deal with the

Update on Ukraine 04/03/2022 The War in Ukraine The dreadful news from Ukraine has, in one fell swoop, woken Europe from its reverie.  The world, suddenly, looks more dangerous and that danger is uncomfortably close to home.  Putin has decided that the world order should be that of pre-1991.  It seems fairly obvious to most

A New World Order 13/11/2020 A New World Order? A week is a long time in lockdown.  Certainly, a long, long time in politics.  I am, generally, politically agnostic: given that my job is to advise and mange client finances, the flag-colour of incumbents in their parliamentary citadels is largely irrelevant, especially as over the

Shell Shock 01/05/2020 Shell Shock Not, perhaps, the most original title to this note but apt, nonetheless. Yesterday (Thursday) Shell ‘shocked’ the markets with the announcement that they would cut their dividend by two-thirds.  This, of course, is the first cut since World War II.  The cut was not entirely unexpected but it still managed

Markets React to Coronavirus 28/02/2020 Markets React to Coronavirus   The stock market has caught the flu! Or COVID-19, more precisely.  It looks like two weeks in isolation might be required for Wall Street and other exchanges to correct themselves, before they can head back to work. The headlines will undoubtedly be unsettling, and the past seven

Bond is Back 23/12/2019 Bond is Back (Almost)! Yes indeed, bond(s) are back.  The bond market (as measured by the UK gilt market) returned 7% last year – yet interest rates remained at 0.75% (bonds and interest rates are inexorably linked).  It was an extraordinary performance in what has been, on reflection, an extraordinary year.  Again, investors have misread the direction

Brexit – The End Game? 06/09/2019 Brexit – The End Game? Brexit – The End Game and the Effect upon Investment MarketsCould we, finally, be witnessing the denouement of Brexit?  Whilst it seems unlikely, given that Parliament is split in half and the government is in the minority, if there were to be a general election with a successful outcome for Mr  Johnson then there

Will Santa Rally? 12/12/2018 Dear Reader, The past four months have seen much heightened volatility in world stock markets. There have been periods of precipitous falls replete with the usual hubris of the expert commentator.  It is, though, a credit to the clients of this firm that you remain sanguine and have not called upon us to provide soothing messages of reassurance – to hear the

Are the Bears Growling? 08/02/2018 Are the Bears Growling? The outstanding investment returns produced by world stockmarkets over the past few years have been described by many commentators (and I include myself in this group) as ‘the most hated bull market of all time’.  This group of commentators 1) understood why there was a bull market, and2) were confident in its progression.

Post Trump Comment 09/11/2016 Donald Trump is to be President of the USA A few years (or, maybe, even months) ago such a statement would have seemed preposterous.  Indeed, this morning’s media described it as a ‘shock’ result.  I would like to consider the context of the result and the possible effect on your investments in this