David Buik Commentary

Geopolitical issues in Russia, Syria, US, UK, and France took more of a back seat this week on most peoples’ investment agenda. The embers from the US/China trade spat are still smouldering and President Trump was reluctant to stay out of the headlines by continuing to make cryptic comments on James Coney as well as holding some slights doubts about his mission to North Korea next month. On the European front the EU continued to leave the U.K. in no doubt that it was no more enamoured with the negotiation process than the U.K. was. ...Read More

Last week’s investment agenda has been unsurprisingly dominated by the bellicose war of attrition and words between Russian and the US and its allies towards the inhuman and barbaric chemical attack against defenceless civilians in Syria. A very diligent and focused military track on Syria, which would not cause the loss of civilian lives, seemed inevitable last Tuesday. But as the week moved on, there has been a degree of prevarication by the Trump administration as to what form the retaliation would look like. It appears that the Pentagon and the State Department encouraged a more cautious approach than perhaps President Trump might have adopted. ...Read More