SGM-FX insights

Loose footing   Equity markets have been a good barometer of the risk associated with the Coronavirus. Thanks to numerous developed markets and indices being ‘late-cycle’ they are proving to be particularly sensitive to exogenous risk; more valuable in my opinion than many purpose-built indices. In the UK yesterday, the FTSE100 kicked off to a […]

Markets: Enough already?   Last week the FTSE fell 823 points or 11.1% in line with other global stock markets which collectively saw $6 Trillion wiped off stocks. Oil is now just $50.60. Here in the UK c8000 people have been tested for Coronavirus and all but about 35 have tested negative. Globally the mortality […]

UK House Sellers   For those readers who remember the 1980’s, you will recall that the most loathed symbol of Young Urban Professionals or Yuppies was the estate agent who zipped around in a flash (red) company motor with a mobile phone the size of a brick clamped to his ear. With the advent of […]

Shrove Tuesday yesterday which means today is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent   For the next 40 days until Easter Sunday, many will be observing some form of abstinence regime out of either religious or another conviction. Some SGM-FX team members are vying with each other to give up something: Charles(smoking) Euan(alcohol) and […]

The Furious One   Hats off to Tyson Fury for his epic victory on Saturday night. Quite a record this 206cm 115 kilo fighter has: 31 fights, 30 wins, 21 KOs. Sgm-FX’s (almost as) tall body builder and keep fit enthusiast Euan was up into the small hours cheering him on!     Blue Is […]

Airlines   Unsurprisingly Qantas and Air France-KLM both issued announcements of their profitability taking a pounding (no pun) yesterday. Airline management would, in their own minds at least, be considered derelict in their duties, if they did not take the opportunity to blame a lack of profitability on Coronavirus. However, it is worth injecting some […]

Continental chaos   This morning I bring you a story from Europe that should show you just how vulnerable the financial world has become and therefore just how unstable it could prove to be during in the coming year. It comes in the form of fixed income products in Europe that, let’s not forget, have […]

Okayama and the Hadaka Matsuri   This weekend saw the Annual Naked Festival or Hadaka Matsuri in Okayama, Japan’s Honshu Island when 10,000 male participants braved the cold weather clad only in loincloths- fundoshi and white socks-tabi. First they run around semi naked and then around 10pm on Saturday night priests threw bundles of twigs […]

U.K. Chancellor Quits Unexpectedly   A headline like that would in former times have prompted a fall in GBP of at least a cent and definitely more at times of financial crisis. Yesterday of course GBP firmed sharply against EUR and USD in particular, which just reflects that Sajid Javid was considered damaged goods by […]

Oh that’s where I left it!   It takes a big lens to capture a clear image of a piece of paper from tens of metres away. But in most of those circumstances what takes far more skill and consideration is the hand placement, angle and speed of travel to ensure the photographer achieves the […]

U.K.: Home of EVs?   With PM Johnson setting out his stall for the U.K. to lead the world in manufacturing electric cars, it would look to be more of an aspirational vision than an actual one since the U.K. currently has a small fraction of the global EV market. However with decisive fiduciary action […]

US Election: Democrat Runners…28 down to 11…   Ahead of the key date of Super Tuesday March 3 2020 when 16 states are up for grabs in the primaries, some of our readers have questioned how best to categorise the Democrat challengers, so we have distilled the now 11 runners- 8 men and 3 women […]