 
                            
Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) announced the acquisition of Tiffany for $16.2 Billion at about the time that you are reading this. This will complement the A to Z of brands that LVMH already own that includes Acqua di Parma, Berluti, Bulgari, Celine, Christian Dior, Dom Pérignon, Fendi, Krug and alphabetically all the way through to Veuve Clicquot. Incidentally the only brands beginning with a T that they have owned to date are TAG Heuer and Thomas Pink!
In these times of trade wars/agreements and civil unrest, it is instructive to remember that in 2018 the USA led the way with $277Billion, next was China with $139 Billion and the Hong Kong with $116 Billion. The UK was in 6th place with $64 Billion ahead of Brazil with $61 Billion and Australia with $60 Billion.
Where is Milka chocolate made in Austria? Bludenz: the scene of a major heist when a Hungarian haulier (not a joke by the way) was hired last week by the company to deliver a lorry full of chocolate. The Hungarian haulier sub-contracted to a Czech pal who substituted number plates and delivery documentation and disappeared. Just how much is such a consignment worth? EUR 50,000 is the answer! Austrian police on the case (fruit and nut?)
Financial markets last night welcomed the fact that one of their own, Michael Bloomberg(77 and worth $53.4 Billion) has announced that he is running as the Democrat candidate. First he needs to beat off Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg the most youthful of the candidates by some distance at 37.
Discussion and Analysis by Humphrey Percy, Chairman and Founder

 
                    
        Two cuts down The Federal Reserve cut the target Fed funds rate by 25-basis points again last night. This brings the benchmark range down to a 3.75-4% banding. This move had been widely expected, but that does not mean it did not have any market impact. As of market open today, the dollar continues to […]
 
                    
        A glimmer of (European) hope The ECB has made significant progress in cutting rates towards an accommodative level. The Eurozone saw evidence of cooling inflation much sooner than many economies and has been able to respond accordingly, cutting the deposit rate to 2%. The ECB will meet again this Thursday to publish its latest monetary […]
 
                    
        Inflation’s peak? Yesterday’s publication of the latest UK inflation report will be welcomed by households and the government alike. The report released prior to the market open yesterday showed UK inflation to September remained stable month-on-month. That might not sound like a whole lot at face value, but it is in fact critical that headline […]
