In MoneyWeek this week: Saudi Arabia and the future of oil
This week, we look at oil, bring you the second part of our interview with Lord King, and explain five things that business can learn from Leicester’s title win.
This week in MoneyWeek we look at oil, bring you the second part of our interview with Lord King, and explain five things that business can learn from Leicester's remarkable Premier League title win. Plus, with the (potential) unmasking of "Satoshi Nakamoto" we take a look at bitcoin and ask if now's the time to buy. If you're not a subscriber yet, why not sign up now?
Oil is about to get dearer
It's been tough for oil producers gone are the days of charging over $100 for a barrel of crude; days when, for a while, we all thought this was the new normal. Then America's frackers came along, coupled with a drop in demand from emerging markets, and it's been downhill ever since.
The last few years have been tough for the major oil producers. And they don't come much more major than Saudi Arabia, with a fifth of the world's reserves. It relies almost entirely on oil revenue to keep going, but now it's thinking about diversifying. But that's much easier said than done.
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In his cover story this week, Matthew Partridge looks at whether the kingdom can really break its dependence on the black stuff and what it means for the price of oil, the industry as a whole, and the rest of us. If Saudi Arabia cuts production as it may have to then the price of oil will inevitably rise. Matthew picks the best ways for you to profit. If you want to know what they are, take out a subscription to the magazine now.
What to buy now
It's the beginning of the month, and that means it's time to take a look at asset allocation. It's a vitally important part of your investment strategy, easily as important as the individual shares you buy. We run through each asset class and give our monthly view. Plus, we bring you an update on the MoneyWeek investment trust portfolio. It's been running for a few years now, and it's fair to say it's looking pretty healthy. If you want to know what's in it, sign up here.
Lessons from Leicester
If you've been conscious for more than five minutes over the last week, you can't have failed to hear about Leicester City's Premier League title. And to be fair, it was extraordinary. But you might not have thought it had much to do with business. But in his City View column this week, Matthew Lynn explains why the win has "some important lessons for business, whether you are running one yourself or simply investing in companies". He picks five things for investors to think about. Find out what they are with a subscription to the magazine.
Lord King on China, pensions, and the productivity puzzle
Last week, we brought you the first half of an interview between Merryn Somerset Webb and Lord (Mervyn) King, the ex-governor of the Bank of England. Then, he talked mainly about Europe. "That left us rather depressed", says Merryn. This week, he's talking about how to fix Britain's broken economy, how we move on from the financial crisis, and how we can drive up the "extraordinary levels of global growth". It's a wide ranging conversation that covers everything from China's manipulation of its exchange rate and how to solve the "productivity puzzle", to pensions and debt monetisation. If you want to know exactly what he said, sign up here.
Time to buy bitcoin
An Australian entrepreneur recently "outed" himself as "Satoshi Nakamoto", the mysterious creator of crypto-currency bitcoin. We may never know if he's on the level or not. But bitcoin itself is growing in popularity. It's already had one boom and bust, when the price shot up to around $1,000, then back down to around $200. Now, Charlie Morris, investment director of The Fleet Street Letter, thinks it could be about to happen again. It's time to buy, he says. Find out why in this week's copy of MoneyWeek.
Going green, the death of the newspaper and can you trust history?
In personal finance, Sarah Moore looks at green energy tariffs, and how to make sure you get what you think you're getting.
Alex Williams delves into the newspaper business in his shares page, plus picks a risky commodity stock as his gamble of the week, and brings you his usual roundup of the best share tips from around the British media.
And Matthew Partridge asks how true the standard disclaimer that "past performance is not a guide to future performance" actually is. The fund industry doesn't seem to think so, he says.
There's far too much more to fit in here. In funds, we look at China. In pensions, we warn about the dangers of the lifetime allowance. And in property, we find out the effect fears of "Brexit" are having on the commercial property sector.
All that and five pages of cars, travel, and houses for sale. If that takes your fancy, take out a subscription now.
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Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.
Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin.
As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.
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