10 Dec The best of what we read, watched and listened to this week
Clearly disappointed at being upstaged by her partner in crime a couple of weeks ago, this is Rob’s other cat trying to participate in the 2021 UK Snooker Championship this week.
We have lost count of the number of different cable interfaces we have but the least used of them is probably the USB-C ‘racetrack’ shaped one. As this means that it gets the least wear, so should last longer, we were encouraged to hear that Apple is intending to adopt it in preference to the current Lightning one. Thank you to the EU for pushing for this in the interests of reducing electronic landfill. [2 min read]
One of Rob’s undergraduate memories is of the graffiti on a lecture theatre desk to the effect that ‘John Lennon died today’ so even though we remember hearing the news when we were at school, it still comes as a surprise to discover that it was written all of 41 years ago, which seems like quite a long time. [3 min read]
Investors are always on the lookout for measures which will help them to identify how to allocate their capital. One such is the ‘capture ratio’, which identifies how much of a market’s movement is reflected in the performance of a portfolio. A recent study found that managers tended to underperform in rising markets and outperform in falling ones. Unfortunately for anyone seeking to use this as a way to identify manager skill, it is pretty well all explained by the extent to which the portfolio’s volatility varies from that of the market. Keep looking then… [4 min read]
One of the most important, but also one of the hardest, aspects of any financial plan is to come up with long term assumptions for the future risk and return of various asset classes. However, while currencies are known to be an asset class with an aggregate total return of zero, how do we approach its ‘crypto’ version? Part of the difficulty is its limited period data but there is also the restricted supply, as well as 24/7 trading and the huge price volatility. If you’re contemplating moving into this space, you’re going to need a strong stomach for the ride. [4 min read]
One of the reasons that we like to meet both members of a couple is that it is important to have input from all the relevant parties when creating a financial plan. However, it seems that quite a large proportion of them is probably keeping financial secrets from each other. This may be something to which they have consciously agreed but equally it may be otherwise. However, as this article points out, secrets can be destructive to a relationship so it may be worthwhile trying to overcome that reluctance. After all, there’s a good chance that your partner may have a few of their own too. [3 min read]
We hope you have a good weekend.
Charles and Rob