2018 was rife with market volatility, political upheaval, climate disasters, personal data dystopia, global economic uncertainty and much more. The general view seems to be expect more of the same for 2019. After the Brexit vote and Trump’s election in 2016, economists, analysts and investors were pretty fearful about market prospects for 2017, yet it […]
Can diversification increase returns?
Diversification is an important strategy for investors and is when you spread your money across different asset classes and also investment types. The goal of diversification is to spread risk and improve the consistency of your investment portfolio. The financial crisis and subsequent monetary easing, has affected the way certain assets have performed and also […]
The Alternative Investment Market – A stockpicker’s dream
The Alternative Investment Market (AIM) can be a fertile hunting ground for investors, but it can also be a minefield. Small, unproven companies are inherently riskier than larger, established companies. As such, investors seek much higher upside on AIM companies. Whilst AIM shares are not for the fainthearted, they can provide diversification and enhance portfolio […]
What is an ICO?
2017 has been called the year of the ICO with the emergence of Initial Coin Offerings and over $6.1 billion raised for more than 870 different companies. This was almost 70 times the amount raised in 2016. The $6.96 billion already raised in 2018 for over a thousand companies, suggests that 2017 was not […]
Blockchain – A catalyst for transformation
The internet has created a global marketplace over the past forty years. A consequence has been a high level of fraud resulting in an increasing trust gap. Intermediaries help to add a level of verification but there still remains a leap of faith that the intermediary is trustworthy and competent. With the number of smart […]
Artificial Intelligence – Who will be the Winners and Losers?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to boost UK productivity by a much needed 30 per cent whilst generating cost savings of up to 25 per cent. The government is targeting for AI to add £232 billion to the economy by 2030. London is currently leading the world in AI through companies such as DeepMind and […]
Big Tech Valuations – Tesla a case study
Last September Tesla’s market value briefly passed that of General Motors, America’s largest car maker, despite Tesla having made fewer vehicles in its lifetime than GM makes in a month. Shares in the group have dropped by more than 21 per cent since. Nonetheless, investors have stuck by Tesla, hoping the company will lead the […]
How to Profit from the 4th Industrial Revolution
First came steam and water power; then electricity and assembly lines; then computerisation… So what comes next? Technologies are emerging and affecting our lives in ways that indicate we are at the beginning of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, a new era that builds and extends the impact of digitisation in new and unanticipated ways. The […]
Early Stage Companies show an average of 30% increase in valuation per year, why wouldn’t you invest?
Can a sector as diverse as venture funding be judged on an average performance basis? If you are considering investing in this area what can you learn from successful venture capital investment?
Successful companies are only as strong as their management teams
Most experienced investors know that when they are assessing alternative investment capital opportunities, the right management team is vital. This is even more true for smaller entrepreneurial companies, where the founding team is the driving force in the company’s growth strategy. The problem is that if the founders have a track record of building successful […]
How will the recent changes in the Enterprise Investment Scheme affect private investors?
The November 2017 Budget announced several changes to the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS Scheme). EIS is designed to help smaller trading companies to raise finance by offering a range of tax reliefs to investors. The changes are part of the government’s Patient Capital Review of support for small businesses. Below we look at the main […]
Where to Invest in 2018
Every New Year brings the opportunity to address those things we feel we can do a little better. That equally applies to our investment portfolio and is dependent upon assessing the opportunities for the year ahead. Here we take a look at the prospects for: Equities Bonds Property Ventu#Venture Capitalre Capital Bitcoin