Updated 10:46am 11 February 2012:

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Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller

Big deals going on despite the gloom

AMID the gloom and doom, life does go on. Deals continue to made, some of them large. Look, for example, at the pharmaceuticals sector.Read

Raising your capital in torrid times

FOR the first half of this decade, commercial real estate was the asset class to invest in, outperforming equity markets annually and delivering a strong performance relative to lower-risk assets.Read

Obama's stimulus plan disappointing

AS expected, the main focus of last week proved to be the announcement of the Obama administration’s economic policy measures. Read

Keeping an eye on the recovery date

THE big chill has descended, in more ways than one. The hit to economic growth towards the end of last year was bigger than we had pencilled in, with no part of the globe remaining unscathed. Read

Xstrata cutback is good news for ENRC

ENRC’s direct competitor, the Xstrata-Merafe chrome joint venture, has further cut ferrochrome production. The joint venture announced that production has been suspended at more furnaces.Read

Volatile conditions in the currency markets

THE currency markets have not been a restful place over the past few months, and that was particularly true last week. Foreign exchange trading has become very volatile, driven by the extreme stances on monetary policy being taken in the US and Europe, and worsened by low liquidity in the markets as the year draws to a close.Read

New markets also dragged by slump

THE alleged decoupling of emerging markets – the suggestion that emerging economies could carry on regardless despite a sharp slowdown in the developed world – has been well and truly laid to rest.Read

We expect only anaemic recovery in 2010

AS the saying goes, when America sneezes, Britain catches a cold. What began as a local downturn in the US housing market has spread to the UK – and over the next year, we think the British economy and the FTSE are likely to struggle more than their US counterparts.Read

Steer well clear of the retail sector

WHILE a week may be a long time in politics, it can feel like an age in markets.Read

Lessons from the past

OCTOBER was a grim month for equities, with levels of volatility not seen since 1987 and, prior to that, 1932. The turmoil was driven in part by fears of recession and, in some cases, talk of depression – although we believe that policymakers around the world have done enough to avoid the latter scenario.Read

Insurers’ exposure is much lower

WITH the financial markets in continuing crisis, one concern has been the capital strength of insurers.Read

Opportunity knocks for savvy investors

THE word ‘unprecedented’ has been used more often than any other adjective to describe the events of the last seven weeks. And rightly so.Read

Keep a cool head despite the crisis

SEPTEMBER was a terrible month for the financial markets and October has so far proved no better. There will be more bad news as the credit crunch claims more victims and pushes global demand down at least another notch.Read

Still plenty opportunities

THE past few weeks will undoubtedly live long in the memory of many investors. But while shareholders and the media alike remain fixated on the current difficulties in the US it is worth remembering that some blue-chip names are still performing robustly.Read

The days of the $2 pound now a fond memory

FOR most of the past year, America effectively put itself on half-price sale. With sterling at around $2 for much of 2007 and 2008, US holidays and consumer goods felt like a bargain.Read

Inflation is still concern for investors

DESPITE hopes that slower economic growth would lead to reduced price pressures in the world’s major economies, inflation remains a significant concern for investors.Read

Oil may fall further, if global demand slows

OIL prices soared in the first half of the year, reaching a peak of $145 a barrel at the start of July, causing misery for motorists and road hauliers, to name but two.Read

Andrew Miller, regional head of Barclays Wealth

Should investors buy into retail shares?

THE European general retail sector has fallen by about 25% so far this year. But does this sharp decline in price make retail shares a good buy? We think that there are a variety of reasons to remain wary.Read

Andrew Miller, regional head of Barclays Wealth

Equities are still a good bet

UK economic news over the last week has been bad. Consumer prices are now increasing at an annual rate of 3.8%, almost double the Bank of England’s 2% target.Read

Tide is turning for Spain after decade in sun

FOR most of the past decade, Spain was one of Europe’s star performers, fuelled by a booming housing market – as any visitor to the Spanish coast will have seen from the abundance of cranes and construction sites.Read

Author Profile

Andrew Miller is regional office head of Barclays Wealth and formerly worked for Gerard Investments. He writes regular opinion pieces in The Journal where he analyses the North Eastýs listed companies.

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