John Ditchfield

Our lead climate researcher, Natalie Chung, explores some of the potential benefits from #AI adoption for climate and society in this fascinating article www.harmonicfp.com/insights/nav...

I have a lot of sympathy of Angela Rayner but she failed to pay the correct level of SDLT on a property, its not complicated. How can a senior politician be so financially illiterate! I do also view this as a concerted campaign by a right-wing media keen to oust a genuinely relatable politician!

@ftweekend.com #FTWeekendFestival solving the climate crisis one EV at a time!

A very enjoyable event. For me perhaps missing the point that “capitalism” isn’t really a coherent ideology which is why it’s such a resilient system. For example, @TheConduit had just hosted its Young Innovators awards for capitalists/business people but all seeking to make a positive impact.

I see we have two great figures of contemporay political thinking at @theconduitlondon.bsky.social next week @georgemonbiot.bsky.social and @afuahirsch.bsky.social - likely to be a sell-out event from two people staunchly refusing to "sell out" (apologies to genuine humorists)..

WH Auden: “Out of the air a voice without a face Proved by statistics that some cause was justIn tones as dry and level as the place” describes rather well the onslaught agains less developed nations now suffering huge tariffs on exports.

Auden had it perfectly “Out of the air a voice without a face Proved by statistics that some cause was just. In tones as dry and level as the place:”

The chart shows how the tariffs are applied as they are based simpy on trade surplus levels with the US.

The crude maths used to justify tariffs is a "fig leaf" deployed to lend some supposed economic weight to purely retaliatory tariffs- the chart maps out how they function. Simply penalising countries selling more than they buy from the US.

Of course, the rarely spoken/unwritten truth is that the powerful can protest and have their views heard, but those without economic power are barred from protest.

"Take the US’s goods trade deficit with any particular country, and divide it by the total amount of goods imported from that country. Cut that percentage in half, and there’s the US’s “reciprocal” tariff rate". Thank you @ft.com.web.brid.gy and POTUS for this

The maths behind the mayhem

How the Trump administration calculates its trade tariffs… stocks tumble given uncertainty and overall impact on global growth.

Difficult to add to this cartoon from the @economist.com what can European leaders really do given how tariffs would impact an already weak Eurozone economy..

#SunTzu: “To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” Trump and Xi engage in light sparring over trade, suggesting a deal is likely within reach. Charts/data on China's broad-based expansion into global markets across a mix of sectors China’s 32% share of global production.

International diplomacy in the Trump era seems to be more about making threats and holding other States hostage.. In the short term he's likely to get what he wants. In this instance the peso rapidly devalues and the dollar appreciates strengthing Trumps bargaining position.

"Beware of geeks bearing formulas," Buffett said in his 2008 letter to investors. The problem with quant funds is that their stock-picking ... A hedge fund is a charging structure looking for a client 99% of the time.. Huge fees and modest returns.

Can sustainable investing survive Trump 2.0? Interesting article in the @FT Weekend edition exploring the reason challenges faced by funds which offer #sustainableinvestment my experience is that demand remains good for both impact and sustainable funds @aliceross.bsky.social provides useful context

Ease Your 2024/25 Tax Burden – HFM Tax Blog Ease Your 2024/25 Tax Burden is one of the posts in the Tax Planning section on the HFM Tax Blog.

Time to get your finances in order? Our thoughts here hfmtax.co.uk/ease-your-20...

Difficult times for this very interesting #Impactinvestment business @Impax- stock now trades on around 8* earnings and has a hefty dividend (NOT A RECOMMENDATION)

Busy week ahead with clients- discussing retirement income and structuring #retirement portfolios #investment- a very difficult area for people to plan for given that most people approach retirement with multiple pension schemes.