Lithium prices hit a cyclical low in 2020, driven by low capital intensity hard rock projects in Australia springing up and overwhelming the market. However, in recent months, lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide prices have been surging higher. Battery grade and technical grade lithium carbonate prices began to rally strongly as Chinese buyers paid up, […]
Revolutionary Battery Technology Mooted Very Soon
You’re probably already interested in the potential of electric cars. But maybe you also have the usual concerns about actually buying one: the price, the range, and worries about where you are going to charge the thing and how long you’ll be stuck there. Yet the market certainly seems to reckon they are the future. […]
Energy & Food Costs
What Investment Strategies Are Being Used By People With Trillions of Dollar Are Buying During Covid-19
Hotels, pipelines, convenience stores and automaker bonds – are among the assets being bought by some of the world’s biggest asset managers as they look for value investment strategies in a world thrown into turmoil by the coronavirus pandemic. These folk need to (and can afford to take a long-term view) on the their decisions. […]
Investing in the Electric Vehicle Revolution
How can we gain by investing in the electric vehicle (E.V.) revolution that is upon us? Right now we at the very early dawn – that moment where the sun nudges above the horizon. Which vehicle manufactures are going to win the E.V. race? My answer is – they’re all going to win! Whether every […]
Hammond under fire for ‘wholly ill-conceived QROPS’ charge
Hammond under fire for ‘wholly ill-conceived QROPS’ charge The Treasury announced it would impose a 25% tax charge on pension transfers to QROPS pension schemes from the day after the Budget (9 March). Officials said the charge was “targeted at those seeking to reduce the tax payable by moving their pension wealth to another jurisdiction”. […]
This is the pension problem and it should be headline news!
A recent article published by the BBC and written by Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies says it all. The issue is not being given enough exposure. I believe because those in power e.g. in governments and controlling the media (and this is as close as I come to a rant!) don’t […]
Top UK Retailer John Lewis Not Immune to Pension Crisis
Top UK retailer John Lewis announced some results last week – operating profits for John Lewis stores fell 31.2% to £32.4m and were down 28.9% to £96.3m for Waitrose, its top tier supermarket arm. Pre-tax profits for the six months to July fell by 14.7% to £81.9m and are expected to remain under pressure. Like-for-like sales […]
Post Brexit Affects on Pensions – Expats have a Unique Advantage
British Expats Have a Unique Advantage in Countering Post Brexit Pension Problems The ramifications of the Brexit vote have exacerbated the already well established pension crisis affecting the UK. For a long time the Government has been very well aware of the pension time bomb and various administrations from both sides of the political landscape […]
Hong Kong-Shenzhen Stock market tie-up
China Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Market Tie-Up Approved China has permitted a long-anticipated trading link between Hong Kong and Shenzhen’s stock markets. The Shenzhen Connect was due to be launched more than a year ago, but was postponed due to market volatility. It is now planned to go live by the end of the year. The […]
Pensions Defined Benefit Schemes – Not Secure
Pensions – Defined Benefit Schemes not secure black holes are growing rapidly Sentiment – Transfer out of UK pension schemes. Prefer emerging stock markets to developed, positive on gold. Longer term outlook is to be pro-risk assets. People are slowly beginning to realise that their ‘gold-plated’ company pensions are not secure in terms […]
Brexit Aftermath
What Lies Ahead in the Medium Term Future for UK The recent Brexit vote does not herald the end of the world, and in all probability the sell-off in risk assets and sterling will soon be partially reversed as the U.K government and euro zone leaders make calming statements about the need to work […]