Third Quarter 2025 Review. US President Donald Trump dominated the financial market headlines in the third quarter. Tariffs were in focus as were the levels/percentages that would be imposed. Many…
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October 2025 Review
UK Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) remains at 3.8% year-on-year but better than forecast of 4.0%. The Bank of England has…
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Official US interest rates cut for the first time this year The Bank of England holds rates, having cut in August Gold rises on raised geopolitical concerns and fears of…
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Inflation Up – Base Rates Down Not the usual relationship between price inflation and monetary policy changes, but the Bank of England lowered bank/base rates by 0.25% in August despite…
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Deal or No Deal After the furore that surrounded Liberation Day 1.0 on April 2nd earlier this year, financial markets were both apprehensive of what might happen on the next…
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Second Quarter 2025 Review. The quarter started badly for financial markets, notably equities, when President Trump’s tariff announcement on so-called ‘Liberation Day’, April 2nd, caused equity markets to fall precipitously,…
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Strike Action Another month of intense geopolitical activity was highlighted by the US bombing of strategic nuclear and defence positions in Iran on the evening of Saturday, June 21st. That…
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US President, Donald Trump’s latest pseudonym, TACO* man, stimulated an extended rally in risk assets from the lows of early April. Although bond yields were buffeted by ‘bond vigilantes’ -…
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Despite the extreme swings felt during the month of April, a helpful takeaway is that the actual effect on the performance of Pier Portfolios from the beginning to the end…
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Trump’s tariffs take their toll on equity markets Slower US economic data helps US ten year bond yields lower to below 4.25% The final day of February witnesses extraordinary scenes…
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The Year That Was 2024. ‘TINA’ Aka, ‘There Is No Alternative’ to equities. While December was a bumpy ride for equities and bonds alike, last year was a year when…
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Heavy Lifting. In our outlook piece at the start of January, we suggested that earnings would need to do the heavy lifting to support equity prices, most notably in the…
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