What do I have up my sleeve for 202 investments? Caution and then again double dose of caution as will always be my watchword for serious investments.
Maybe, just maybe, 2020 is a year for investors to finally give a sigh relief? Across the Channel we have recently seen significant rises in French car sales whilst on the other side of the Atlantic a rise in US property sales – although with the latter there is a slight mirroring of the bubble prior to the 2008 crash.
Following on from this, and with a new UK government in place for five years offering some stability to the markets and allowing those who may have delayed investment to crack on, I’d be very surprised if we didn’t see the British property market start to rise too. Related businesses and trades are well worth a look!
Environmental and social concerns, surfing on the back of the ‘Greta effect’ couple with recent further tensions in the Gulf with resulting rising oil prices, we are likely to see a further erosion of the value of big oil companies and a rise in sustainable investment opportunities with increased taxation on carbon emission products – we should never under-estimate the consumer impact on this market sector.
Radically changing sectors, if we look at grocers, Ocado is still steaming ahead without any significant Amazon impact as befell other online markets. Whilst this should offer opportunities you should treat Tesco with care as they have a £2.5bn equal pay suit in the offing - a similar case is also looming for ASDA.
Despite all the other concerns for investors in 2019, the concerns about US-China trade wars and the aforementioned economic slowdown, 2019 was a robust year for many returns underlined by the FTSE 100 up by almost 12%. Gold rose over 15% in 2019 with alt coin Bitcoin rising up to just under 90% in the same time-frame.
Okay that has been a skimmed broad-view of some of the major sectors and offered an opinion of what to avoid or indulge - but where should you be putting your money?
After 31st January (Brexit day at last) and after the March budget I will be taking an even closer and harder look, with plenty of diligence of course, at established and new developing technology companies in the realm of AI, automation, cybersecurity and virtual reality – potential breakthroughs (with potential being the watchword and inherent risk) could see related stocks fly high; well worth closer scrutiny and my fingers are firmly crossed.
