No Halloween jokes needed, as this week I must revert to a familiar supernatural force – that of US President Donald Trump. The trade “conflict” between the US and China has caused market volatility to increase in recent weeks, so if we are to believe the news this week, any improvement in this relationship is good news for clients’ portfolios.   As I write on Thursday, President Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping have agreed to postpone export controls on rare earths and c

The Fed starts to ease ·  Fed cuts rates by 0.25% as US employment weakens and tariff-driven inflation persists. ·  UK gilt yields hit 27-year highs amid fiscal worries ahead of Rachel Reeves’ November Budget. ·  Angela Rayner resigns, prompting cabinet reshuffle and renewed pressure on Keir Starmer’s leadership. ·  Labour seeks to rebuild business confidence through new “Budget board” linking ministers with the Treasury. ·  Andy Burnham launches leadership challenge, proposi

Now, a break from the norm, as it is all getting a bit depressing. If you wish for further depression, I will revert to the budget and economy later in this email. As the world looks for ways to curb biodiversity loss, new financial tools are being developed to fund the preservation and restoration of ecosystems. I imagine my compliance department would ask me to point out here that this is a news article and not financial advice for a new investment! The latest example is in