Month: April 2015

Technology has changed trading in a multitude of ways, the first of which being increased market volatility. It has never been easier to trade than in this day and age, where at the click of the button, you can buy or sell shares in a company, and this trade will be registered in a matter… Continue reading How technology has changed trading

The main economic pledge made by the Conservatives is to eliminate the deficit by 2020 and to be running an overall surplus by that time. Judging by the Conservatives’ last five years in charge, this seems to be a very real prospect. It is true that only when you eliminate the deficit that you can… Continue reading A brief analysis of the 2015 Conservative manifesto from an economic and financial point of view

First of all, thank you all so much for helping me attain 20,000 views! I never thought that my blog would get this much traffic when I started, so the views have really surpassed my expectations. If Ed Miliband is elected in the upcoming 2015 General Election, he proposes raising money for the social services… Continue reading Why Ed Miliband and Labour could shatter the allure of the UK

With the large decline of energy prices, in particular oil prices, it was inevitable that there was going to be at least one major acquisition in the energy sector, and that is exactly what we got, with Royal Dutch Shell acquiring BG Group. The merger is for £47 billion at a 50 percent premium to… Continue reading My opinion of Shell buying BG Group

The Iran nuclear deal that was recently agreed provisionally on Thursday could do many things to the price of oil, but what it definitely means is an influx of supply at some point down the line – close to 2 million extra barrels a day, in fact. This influx of supply is set to lower… Continue reading What I think the Iran nuclear deal could do to crude oil prices

One of the big issues globally, and more specifically in the UK before the General Election in 34 days time, is austerity. Is it good or bad? Should we impose it or not? Personally, I believe that budget deficits are too high and need to be reduced, especially in the UK where the deficit is… Continue reading Austerity: good or bad?

As I write this, thousands of workers who produce goods for companies such as Nike and Adidas are still on strike for a fifth day in Ho Chi Minh City over social insurance cover. According to the Guardian, these sorts of things are a relatively rare occurrence, but Nike, in particular, has a well documented… Continue reading Why I would not invest in companies that have a questionable history