Friday’s Shakeup and Taking Profits
Trades in the Soda and Whisky Portfolios;
A lot has happened this week with President Trump threatening to hike tariffs on China. The markets were spooked on Friday afternoon with a few key observations:
- Bonds rose as yields fell.
- The dollar and yen rose; the euro and pound fell.
- Gold and silver held; oil and copper fell.
- Low volatility quality stocks rose; high volatility stocks and crypto fell.
Then, of course, it all faded away as the President de-escalated the situation over the weekend, but it’s a reminder that things can change very quickly in markets. It has led me to reduce risks in the portfolio, to take the edge off, and lock in some profits.
General - Your capital is at risk when you invest, never risk more than you can afford to lose. Past performance and forecasts are not reliable indicators of future results. Bid/offer spreads, commissions, fees and other charges can reduce returns from investments. There is no guarantee dividends will be paid. Overseas shares - Some recommendations may be denominated in a currency other than sterling. The return from these may increase or decrease as a result of currency fluctuations. Any dividends will be taxed at source in the country of issue.
Funds - Fund performance relies on the performance of the underlying investments, and there is counterparty default risk which could result in a loss not represented by the underlying investment. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with derivative exposure (leveraged or inverted ETFs) are highly speculative and are not suitable for risk-averse investors.
Bonds - Investing in bonds carries interest rate risk. A bondholder has committed to receiving a fixed rate of return for a fixed period. If the market interest rate rises from the date of the bond's purchase, the bond's price will fall. There is also the risk that the bond issuer could default on their obligations to pay interest as scheduled, or to repay capital at the maturity of the bond.
Taxation - Profits from investments, and any profits from converting cryptocurrency back into fiat currency is subject to capital gains tax. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change.
Investment Director: Charlie Morris. Editors or contributors may have an interest in recommendations. Information and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of other editors/contributors of ByteTree Group Ltd. ByteTree Asset Management (FRN 933150) is an Appointed Representative of Strata Global Ltd (FRN 563834), which is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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