Tom Stevenson
The biggest election the world has ever seen
The last three years have raised questions about the health of the UK's parliamentary democracy, but the system that was created in its image in India has surprised everyone with its resilience and longevity. This week, 900m voters will take part in what will be the biggest election the world has ever seen.
Nowhere more so than in the world of investment
Even on April Fools Day, we like to think that we’re pretty worldly-wise. But there's plenty of fake news and myths peddled as the truth. And maybe nowhere more so than in the world of investment...
When things are so bad, they're actually good
Past 'national emergencies' such as the miner's strike or the collapse of Northern Rock were all good times to invest in the UK stock market. So, is Britain's current political humiliation just the latest example of things being so bad they're actually good?
The only certainty in investing is uncertainty
It is sometimes said that markets hate uncertainty. This is not strictly true. Uncertainty is a key feature of markets - it creates the tension between buyers and sellers that sets prices. Without uncertainty there is no market. What we can say is that rising uncertainty tends to depress prices and vice versa. Whether you love or hate uncertainty depends, therefore, on whether you are a buyer or a seller.
The January effect
Investors have latched onto the old adage that a good January in the market means the rest of the year will be profitable too. There are other seasonal sayings about investment - Sell in May, or the belief that September and October are the most dangerous months - but January is I think the only month assumed to have predictive powers.
An excellent time to be a stock-picker
The seeds of discontent
Holding a mirror to 1918:
