The Media love financial crisis – it sells. The reality is the need to understand, plan, prepare, and don’t expect anything you expected to happen, happen. Enjoy. Sun comes up tomorrow.

Aston Martin’s extraordinary rally on the back of a F1 podium place squeezed out the shorts as fans backed their belief by buying the stock. The reality for the UK is bleaker – the UK budget next week (March 15) will do little to inspire global enthusiasm for the decaying economy. The UK needs something visionary and new!

Labour Leader Keir Starmer has announced growth is a core mission for the next UK government. He should look how Clarkson’s Diddley Squat Farm and the threat to obliterate my village of Hamble with a wholly unnecessary gravel quarry demonstrate how the UK’s local planning and over-regulation stifles growth, hope, and expectations. The process isn’t fit for any purpose. Bureaucrats have anything but the interests of local people in mind. Big money walks all over them.

It’s time to stop kidding ourselves. Brexit promised much but has been a disaster. The economy is contracting, investment in growth has collapsed, and there are no signs of Brexit bonuses. Time for a reset.

Markets have a habit of getting over-excited. They get FOMO and become over hasty. Although the outlook is improving, there is certainly little to justify some of the more speculative hype dominating market moves. Time a bit of rational thinking and common sense – consider Tesla as an example of misplaced hopes.

We’ve all been scammed into believing Black Friday is a boon for consumers – it’s a marketing scam. What else might lurk around the corner in terms of free stuff? How about abundant and free energy. Careful what you wish for…

One simply can’t ignore a bleeping email. So much for being on holiday, but this week I will simply observe and repeat: please don’t break the market while I’m out!

Blain’s Morning Porridge – April 27th 2020 “The vicissitudes of [...]