Planning for retirement in a volatile market can be daunting. Stocks are in a state of flux, bonds no longer exude safety after the market rout last year and the property market is squeezed between the cost-of-living crisis and rising interest rates. Self-invested personal pensions give investors the freedom to make their own choices, which should, in this environment, include safe-haven assets like gold, that go some way to protecting your retirement pot from the vagaries of economic turmoil. For many years workplace pensions were the primary retirement savings schemes, provided by larger co ..read more

2022 was a turbulent year for global financial markets, with global stocks and bonds shedding more than $30tn in value amid rampant inflation, the war in Ukraine and continued disruption in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The investment landscape remains challenging. Interest rates are increasing, with a possible further announcement from the Bank of England scheduled for today. However, global inflationary pressures are likely to persist, meaning we’re unlikely to see inflation fall rapidly. In the UK we’re seeing rising uncertainty in property as an asset class, with house ..read more

Anyone with savings or investments will have felt the tightening noose of inflation and market volatility through the course of 2022. We’ve had to run just to stay still, because doing nothing will cost you 10%, but doing something could mean losing more as markets have yo-yoed. Patience can be a virtue in the midst of uncertainty, but how can you avoid a market rout without losing out to value erosion?   Market view  After more than a decade of quantitative easing and pandemic bailouts, it should have been easy to see the looming inflation crisis. Instead, the world entered 20 ..read more

The volatility of the cryptocurrency space has led to a surge in investors turning to gold, with a 239% hike in crypto-based investors purchasing gold coins and bars in the seven days from 8-14th November, compared with last year’s weekly average. The fall of FTX (the third largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume) is yet another shock to the crypto environment, denting confidence in the alternative asset and prompting some investors to reassess their options. More than two thirds of investors say they have turned to gold because the cryptocurrency space is awash with extreme volatility, liq ..read more

Finance professionals have been clamouring to purchase physical gold and silver coins amid severe political and economic uncertainty, with demand surging 618% in October (compared to the monthly average of the last 12 months). They cite a litany of concerns including escalating inflation, the energy crisis, rising interest rates and household debt, all compounded by the impact of a fragmented and divisive political party and government.  Finance professionals at the front of the queue This rise in demand is significant because over half the clients currently investing in gold through The ..read more

Precious metals such as gold and silver have long been traditional staples of a diversified investment portfolio. Investors can hold the metals physically, or gain exposure via products such as in derivatives, exchange-traded commodities (ETCs), mutual funds and company stocks. For high-net-worth (HNW) individuals with investable assets of £1 million or more, precious metals are regarded as useful hedges against inflation, and gold held in some forms has tax advantages. But each metal can present its own set of opportunities and risks. The best precious metal advisers can help to guide a clie ..read more

Gold and gold miners are back in a downtrend. Occasionally, there are glimmers of hope, only for the sellers to come piling back in. The slide began shortly after the commodities spike in the spring following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and it has been relentless. Your author shakes his head. Isn’t gold supposed to go up during times of war? Isn’t it the go-to asset in times of inflation? Apparently not. However, if one views gold as simply another currency, then its performance has not been as bad as the headline numbers suggest. It has not done a ..read more

Concerned Brits are turning to gold for the first time to preserve their personal wealth and hedge against inflation, as The Pure Gold Company reports a 389% surge in demand from new investors in the past seven days (compared to the weekly average for 2022). It revealed that almost a quarter of clients buying gold for the first time in the past week work in the hospitality sector, heavily weighed down by surging energy bills off the back of the Ukraine war. Josh Saul, CEO of the gold investment firm, said: “Some of our clients say they are considering shutting restaurants to avoid the energy ..read more

Worried Brits are seeking the relative safe-haven benefits of the precious metal amid the market turmoil fuelled by last week’s mini Budget packed with stealth tax cuts. It led to a currency crash, property market fears and stock market volatility while the Bank of England was forced to step in to stabilise the economy with a bond-buying programme as pensions were on the brink of a Northern Rock-style run. Further, the Chancellor’s multi-billion pound tax cuts – to be financed on debt – also led the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to wade in and rebuke the measures which will “lik ..read more

Are the people at the top – the directors – buying or selling shares in their own company?  If they are buying, that’s usually a good sign. But if they’re selling, not so good.  They might be selling because they need the money to buy a property, for example, or to pay school fees or something.  Then again, they might be selling because they don’t like the look of what’s going on.  Directors’ dealings offer telling signals as to whether insiders think the company is about to thrive or dive. That’s why so many follow them.  With that in mind, I had a meeting with ..read more