Merryn Somerset Webb
Merryn Somerset Webb started her career in Tokyo at public broadcaster NHK before becoming a Japanese equity broker at what was then Warburgs. She went on to work at SBC and UBS without moving from her desk in Kamiyacho (it was the age of mergers).
After five years in Japan she returned to work in the UK at Paribas. This soon became BNP Paribas. Again, no desk move was required. On leaving the City, Merryn helped The Week magazine with its City pages before becoming the launch editor of MoneyWeek in 2000 and taking on columns first in the Sunday Times and then in 2009 in the Financial Times
Twenty years on, MoneyWeek is the best-selling financial magazine in the UK. Merryn was its Editor in Chief until 2022. She is now a senior columnist at Bloomberg and host of the Merryn Talks Money podcast - but still writes for Moneyweek monthly.
Merryn is also is a non executive director of two investment trusts – BlackRock Throgmorton, and the Murray Income Investment Trust.
Latest articles by Merryn Somerset Webb
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Is how much money a manager invests in their own fund really that important?
Opinion Should fund managers invest their own money in their funds, and let us know how much? They probably should, says Merryn Somerset Webb. But it might not be the most important thing to know.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
From an age of plenty to an age of shortage
Editor's letter We have emerged from the pandemic into a world where supply can’t meet demand, driving prices up. Merryn Somerset Webb looks at what's going on.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
What to do as taxes and inflation rise and the growth-stock bull market ends
Analysis The need to pay back our huge debt means higher taxes, higher inflation and, for investors, a return to value. Merryn Somerset Webb explains what you should do.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
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Is your fund manager’s ESG investment policy really ethical?
Editor's letter The so-called ethical policies of some investors are doing more harm than good, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
Forget China, here’s why you should invest in India
Tips As China becomes increasingly hostile to investors, India, with a young, educated, tech-savvy population and a reform-minded government, is becoming an emerging-market favourite. Merryn Somerset Webb picks the best ways to invest.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Tips -
Inflation is still one of the biggest threats to your personal finances
Editor's letter Central bankers and economists insist inflation will be gone by next year. We're not so sure, says Merryn Somerset Webb. So if you haven’t started to inflation-proof your portfolio, you might want to do so.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
Why we will be reliant on fossil fuels for a long time to come
Opinion The energy crisis has shown us just how reliant we still are on fossil fuels. And we will continue to rely on them for a long time yet, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
The Information Age is about to get interesting
Editor's letter The IT revolution has been around for a while now, says Merryn Somerset Webb. But we're just getting to the good bit.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
The end of the bond bull market, and how to invest for it
Opinion The great bond bull market looks to be over, and you probably don’t want to be holding government bonds, says Merryn Somerset Webb. Here’s what you should buy instead.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
With the right political will, inflation can be defeated
Editor's letter Governments and central banks can easily control inflation, says Merryn Somerset Webb – they just need the will.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
The times may be changing, but don’t change how you invest
Opinion We are living in strange times. But the basics of investing remain the same: buy fairly-priced stocks that can provide an income. And there are few better places to look than UK small-cap stocks.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
Why the government's plan for funding social care is a lousy one
Editor's letter Insisting that people use their property wealth to pay for social care is perfectly reasonable, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
China may be cheap, but is it cheap enough to make investing there worth it?
Opinion China’s crackdown on its markets has spread beyond Big Tech to all sectors of the economy. Investors in China must now ask themselves: is it worth it?
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
The stockmarket melt-up just keeps going
Editor's letter Despite all the bad news, markets just keep hitting new highs. Should you be worried?
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
The US is in one of the greatest bubbles in financial history
Cover Story Jeremy Grantham, who has a history of getting big calls right, fears slumps in several wildly overpriced markets (including UK property). He tells Merryn Somerset Webb what investors should do now
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Cover Story -
Why central banks should stick to controlling inflation
Opinion The world’s central bankers are stepping out of their traditional roles and becoming much more political. That’s a mistake, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
The sudden storm that could take down your investment portfolio
Opinion There are many things that threaten to put a big dent in your retirement savings. But the biggest right now is inflation, says Merryn Somerset Webb.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
Disasters, bunkers and financial collapse: a little not-so-light holiday reading
Reviews Merryn Somerset Webb picks a selection of books for you to dive into wherever you are holidaying this summer.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Reviews -
Dividends are back – here's where to find them
Editor's letter The FTSE 100 is yielding 3.7% – not too bad in an age of 0.1% interest rates. And the UK isn't the only place to find dividends, says Merryn Somerset Webb. Japan is looking attractive, too.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
Signs of a top? One of the world’s oddest bubbles is back
Opinion In a world where everything seems to be in a bubble, one of the oddest has returned: Beanie Babies. Merryn Somerset Webb looks at what could possibly go wrong.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
The myth of hypothecated taxes
Editor's letter The government wants to add a penny on our National Insurance contributions to pay for social care. But it won’t, says Merryn Somerset Webb. It will just vanish into the black hole of our public finances.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
The space race: exciting, but not necessarily profitable
Opinion The new space race will spawn a host of new companies wanting to cash in. But investors should tread very carefully, says Merryn Somerset Webb: most will fail.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion -
Why the UK's 2.5% inflation is a big deal
Editor's letter After years of inflation being a financial-assets problem, it is now an “ordinary things” problem too, says Merryn Somerset Webb. But central banks still insist it is transitory.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Editor's letter -
Why equities are better investments than art
Opinion We’re often told that buying art is a good way of diversifying your investment portfolio. But, says Merryn Somerset Webb, art has no income stream and is impossible to value accurately.
By Merryn Somerset Webb Published
Opinion