Last year China’s fertility rate fell to 0.93 births per woman. There were fewer births than in 1776. The infamous one-child policy has been devastatingly successful. But China is not alone. Fertility rates are falling across the world. As the United Nations has reported: “The world is heading toward population decline faster than almost anyone …
If the Central Bank increases interest rates, the textbook assumption is that higher interest rates Increase the cost of borrowing. This leads to lower investment, lower consumption Increase the returns from savings. This leads to lower consumption Appreciation in the exchange rate, increasing export prices, leading to fall in demand for exports. The net effect …
Gold and housing couldn’t be more different as assets yet they do have some similarities. They perform well when interest rates are low and provide a hedge in times of inflation and crisis. There may be bubbles in gold and housing, but they are both enduring assets that have stood the test of time. Be …
In 2025, the global economy was a rollercoaster –Â and normally Erratic tariffs, rising public debt, higher bond yields and a cost-of-living squeeze would unsettle markets but the truth is stock markets loved it. They surged to their highest ever levels. The most dangerous time in markets is when bad news stops mattering. In the …
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It is well known that the UK has some of the highest household electricity prices in the world. Critics of Net Zero argue that despite a rise in the share of renewables to a record breaking 50%, we have also seen a sharp rise in electricity prices, – much faster than the rate of inflation. …
In 2016, the UK’s vote to leave the EU, shocked the EU establishment. Eurosceptics were jubilant – now that the unthinkable had happened, other countries would soon follow. Frexit, Dexit and Nexit were suddenly all on the cards. Plucky Britain had shown the power of taking back control. In recent years, the same populist sentiments …
What gives the best investment? If we take 2000 as a starting point, we find that gold has done the best. The main asset classes, this are the nominal wealth increases Nominal wealth multiples (2000–2025): Gold: 14.95× → CAGR 10.96% Stocks (S&P 500 TR): 7.39× → CAGR 7.99% Houses (Real Estate): 3.30× → CAGR 4.70% …