With 2013 behind us, and the New Year stretching out ahead, time for a look back at the experience of last year and the possibilities for 2014. I think that it is fair to say that last year was quite a successful one for investment markets. The FTSE100 closed up 14.4%, but with the addition of dividends, this rises to 18.7%. On a similar ‘total returns’ basis, the FTSE250 ended up 32.3% and the All Share, 20.8%. All very creditable, especially when compared to a static Bank Base Rate of 0.5% and the best of the High Street saving accounts struggling to return as much as a couple of percent.
Continue reading That was 2013
Tag Archives: fiscal cliff
What price financial advice?
As I sit down to write this article, the FTSE100 is comfortably over the 6000 level, and at its highest for nearly five years. Could it be that the market-makers feel that the woes of the last few years are all behind us? Well, probably not. However, things are looking much better than they did 12 months ago. I guarantee that there will be upsets, but a Fund Manager I spoke with a few days ago told me how he is looking forward to the occasional upsets in the markets nearly as much as the prospect of some decent gains. He says it is like “going to the sales!”
Continue reading What price financial advice?
The Whistler 