What’s not to like about the World Cup? Forget the noise, forget the rancour – and celebrate the greatest festival of visceral tribal sport on the planet. Life is not about the money in your wallet, or the price of your stocks – but the laughs you laugh, the sighs you sigh when the penalty is missed, the cheers that cheer when the goal is scored, and the memories in the treasury of your heart!

The world may be going to hell in a handbasket, and tomorrow is the start of the Year of the Fire-Horse (the most volatile of the 60-year Chinese zodiac cycle) but what a fantastic weekend of sports we just had. It’s all positive stuff… Let’s enjoy it while we can.

The world has gone mad, but fear not, Scotland qualifying for the World Cup will trigger growth, prosperity and happiness (for a wee while – 3 games I expect). The imminent launch of Scottish KILTS bonds will open a Pandora’s box of difficult questions.

“In yacht racing there is no second.”

Sports has become a major investment sector in recent years. An increasing number of funds are focused on sporting opportunities. The appeal, and the possibilities to monetise fans and events is rising. Why invest?

Golf – you have to laugh. But there is serious upside to be made from global sports franchise values as leisure time, AI, and prosperous middle classes emerge around the globe. Saudi might be the proverbial bull in a China-shop with their wallet, but it’s a plan!

Christmas is coming, but plenty still to think about in terms of markets; from the lessons on Covid re-opening in China, what Tesla’s shareprice tells about the resurgence of common sense, and the prospects of 2 years of dither into the very necessary general election the UK needs to move forward!

The football is finished. Get over it. There is much more positive stuff to follow! The UK has many issues to overcome, but we are a nation generally comfortable with ourselves, secure in our future and full of promise. This is the time to be investing in UK Inc – not writing us off because England dropped ball in the penalty lottery, again!   

Finally, proof Football is more deadly than Tennis. And, as the UK proudly climbs onboard the Gigafactory bandwagon, are we heading for a Hindenburg Moment?

The successful mass pushback on the European Super League may seem a minor issue contained in the sports arena, but it highlights growing voter dissatisfaction with politics, wealth inequality, questions who will pay for funding recovery, and just how much longer the speculative bubbles can continue as the world changes.

The collapse of the Super-League Football coup is a great illustration of just how self-delusional big money can be. After delusion comes acceptance, which is what Netflix faces as post-covid subscription growth slows in an increasingly crowded Streaming Wars space. It won’t kill the company, but will refocus investors on the depth of its’ moat and profitability. The same process is likely to be repeated across markets as delusional myths unravel.