On hearing all the clanging, her ears perked up, as did her sister’s. She was 9, and her sister just 3 years old. She gathered up the small one and slipped up the stairs to get a better view of whatever all the fuss outside was from the safe distance of the second floor balcony. This was Zanzibar, 1964. As (non-white) white-collar immigrants from Bombay, they had lived well until then. But revolution was afoot. Fortunately they had been kind to their staff, who had in turn warned them of the plan the insurgents had brewed to rise up and slaughter all but the underclass native Africans. I won’t repeat was she saw. It’s not something any human should be forced to see, much less a little girl.

One of the gripping parts of my job is hearing the stories of my clients. It’s important that I know them well enough to understand their intimacy with money, and occasionally their stories are sort of tattooed on with a raw-edged needle.

 

Be good to people.

 

Markets were up moderately this week, as it looks like we are rounding out one a strong year without all the grim news of last December. This, despite Trump hitting a bump, and Brexiteer Boris Johnson, getting renewed vigor in his recent election win. Onward we go it seems.

 

The Fed’s “insurance” cuts look set to pay off.

The Fed took a victory lap of sorts this week as most officials now believe that three rate cuts will prove sufficient to reduce economic uncertainty ahead, while a phase one trade deal finally appears to be actually at hand. But will either shift the investing landscape?

 

It’s still a strong U.S. labor market

Initial jobless claims, one of the key indicators we monitor, jumped. But one week does not make a trend, and we show why investors shouldn’t read too much into this.

Full Story Here: Global Insight Weekly.

 

I was on a business trip out to the North Coast and once again reminded of what a stunning place we live – any time of year. In Kitimat, I happened upon some old photos of the once boom-town, (now booming again) when it was originally under construction, around the time I was a zygote.

I hope you enjoy a pleasant weekend. It’s Christmassy out there. Good luck finding a parking spot at the --- umm -– Amazon website.

 

Mark