Merryn's blog

Disgraced fund manager Neil Woodford is planning a comeback. But he doesn’t seem to have learned much from his many mistakes. So why would anyone inve…

Most investors in index funds are likely to be dangerously over-invested in US stocks, and particularly in a few huge tech stocks. It’s time to think …

Commodity prices move in cycles. And we’re at the start of the next big uptrend as a shortage in supply hits a surge in demand. Merryn Somerset Webb p…

The small investors of Reddit have very little hope of truly sticking it to Wall Street. But their new-found power could ultimately teach chief execut…

New US president Joe Biden is planning to throw trillions of dollars in stimulus at his country’s economy. Markets will love that. But it comes with a…

Lockdown sent house prices berserk as cooped up home-workers fled for bigger properties in the country. And while they won’t rise quite as much this y…

Vaccines promise a return to normal life. And that bodes well for “value” stocks, says Merryn Somerset Webb – and for the UK market in particular.

The government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has left us with a bill of at least £400bn. Has it been money well spent?

As economies reopen, says Merryn Somerset Webb, people are going to start spending again. And when they do, here’s what you want to be holding.

The tight result in the US election shows that political stalemate could well be good for the markets, says Merryn Somerset Webb.

Company managements are busying themselves fighting climate change, increasing diversity and fostering employee wellness. That’s all well and good, sa…

As the pandemic has left many people with more time on their hands but little opportunity to spend, they have been speculating in the markets. But don…

Negative interest rates are likely to mean the introduction of fees for current accounts and other banking products. But that might make the UK bankin…

The general consensus is that public sector pay is lower than in the private sector, but staff have better working conditions and job security. The re…

As more and more people lose their jobs to the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed to deal with it, there’s one bunch of people who won’t have to worry…

UK stocks are more unloved than they’ve ever been. When they recover – and they will – they will move quickly so you need to have positioned your port…

The rise of “cash shell” companies, sky-high valuations – everything seems to point to a stockmarket bubble. But all may not quite be as it appears, s…

Stamp duty is an awful tax and should be replaced by something better. But its temporary removal is driving up house prices, says Merryn Somerset Webb…

The Financial Conduct Authority has asked for ideas on how to improve the consumer investment market. But perhaps the best thing to do right now would…

China is one of the few places left to good investors hoping to make a decent return, says Merryn Somerset Webb.

Tax rises can’t do much to reduce the two-trillion-pound hole in our public finances. And the economy is too fragile for a tax grab now anyway. So whe…

Companies are turning their backs on public stockmarkets and raising more and more money from private equity. Merryn Somerset Webb explains why this i…

Europe’s latest fiscal intervention looks like the kind of muddle-through that makes a United States of Europe more likely, says Merryn Somerset Webb.…

With Britons choosing to holiday in the UK this year, the owners of the country’s holiday cottages are cleaning up. Should you buy in, too? Merryn? So…