Stocks

How many trillion must unrealised losses be before they matter?

Yesterday’s analysis of the banking crisis we face was disappointingly vague. But at least we got much of the theory out of the way. Today,…

When Canary Bank drops dead, you don’t stay in the coalmine

If a canary in a coalmine drops dead, do you spend your time debating whether bird flu is contagious or not? That’s what all the…

Is the FTSE 100 designed to always win?

Last week the financial news headlines were littered with exciting, positive reports about the stock market reaching new ­all-time highs! Could it be that it’s…

The truth about inflation emerges at last

The great debate of 2022 was about the nature of our inflation. 2021 was the year in which it was settled that prices would go…

Nigel Farage on stocks, mortgages and Europe’s energy crisis in 2023

Whatever happens to US stocks in 2023, it can’t be worse than 2022… can it? Well, have the issues that sunk stocks in 2022 been…

The snapback boom of 2023

[Yesterday’s Fortune & Freedom delved into the claim that 2022 was the worst year ever for investors. Today, eternal optimist and editor of Frontier Tech…

Yes, it really was the worst year ever for investors… sort of

The statisticians and newspaper headline writers are falling over each other with claims of just how bad 2022 really was for investors. Online magazine Money…

Are stock buybacks a good thing for investors?

What is a stock buyback? What should companies do with their profits? Reinvest them in order to grow their operations and, thereby, future profits? Or…

Is Credit Suisse the next Lehman Brothers?

Financial markets were jittery already. But then Credit Suisse’s credit default swaps started to blow out, signalling a rising probability of default. It’s all so…

Is it time to “Buy, Buy, Buy” the stock market?

The bad news is becoming an all-encompassing blur. The new government’s budget is copping the blame for absolute carnage in the financial markets. We’ve hit…

The worst market crash ever is in search of a cause

If you think it’s been a rough year for Europe, consider what US investors are going through. As I explained in a recent alert for…

What are dividend stocks, and why are they crucial in the market?

What are stock dividends? Companies exist to generate cash for their owners. That’s their purpose, from the investor’s point of view. Small-business owners understand this.…

Stop the energy crisis – it’s party conference season!

The US stock market took a tumble on Tuesday, when inflation figures came in slightly higher than usual. But was it just overdone panic, or…

How to make money in a slow-motion train wreck

Are you still with us, dear investors? I wouldn’t blame you for giving up… There’s the prospect of inflation at 22%, energy rationing, industrial shutdowns,…

You took the wrong pill. Prepare to be a machine’s battery.

It’s right out of the film The Matrix, if you ask me. Using everyday people as the battery pack for the economy is a bit…

This is a crisis of underinvestment, say you

My article “When soaring profits are a bad sign for stocks” triggered plenty of reader mail. I asked whether underinvestment in the future was leading…

When soaring profits are a bad sign for stocks

“Profits in the UK are soaring: they’re up 73% at the biggest 350 companies compared with pre-pandemic levels.” It sounds great, doesn’t it? That is…

2008 without the stimulus packages, bailouts, QE or rate cuts

Have you ever wondered what the 2008 crisis would have looked like if there hadn’t been bailouts, stimulus packages, quantitative easing or rate cuts? Because,…

Three very quiet cheers for the FTSE 100!

Did you see the headline in the Guardian? “UK Sidesteps Worst Stockmarket Crash in Half A Century!” Nope, I didn’t see it either. And yet……

A crash without a cause… yet

It’s one of the worst on record. It’s perhaps the worst once you factor in the combined losses in stocks and bonds. Or how much…