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Covid-19 and the dawn of a new market era

April 9, 2020

The era of monetary dominance is over. Helicopter money signals investment regime changes ahead.

The era of monetary dominance is over. Helicopter money signals investment regime changes ahead.

It was the avalanche we have long feared. From record peak to bear market, the S&P fell faster during the ‘corona crash’ than ever before, as the chart below shows.

At peak turmoil, conventional offsets (bonds, gold) proved flaky friends: investors sold what they could, not what they perhaps should. Specialist crash protections allowed Ruffer portfolios to hold their ground.

Campden Family Connect: What next for family offices in India?

April 6, 2020

Family offices in India have professionalised at an astonishing rate in the four years since Campden Family Connect was founded, but engaging the next generation remains a key concern and the coronavirus pandemic is causing pain as portfolios lose value.

The fourth anniversary this week of the pioneering global membership community for ultra-high net worth families in India was the ideal opportunity to take stock of what the family office space has achieved in the country, how it is looking now and where it can progress.

Jonathan Ruffer on how investors can navigate the coronavirus crisis

April 1, 2020

When the elements speak, elemental forces are unleashed, and it is important, in the middle of this storm, to capture the right tone of voice. Any false attempt to give reassurance, to boast about early success, to bury oneself in clichés, is unhelpful—even worse, it is historic: by the time these words are read, events will have unfolded which make them, as the CD music reviews have it, ‘Of historic interest only’. We are a long way from terra firma; at the time of writing, it’s a case of ‘so far, so good’. If this were a tennis match, all we could say is that we’ve had a decent first set.

In search of the bottom in the Covid-19 crisis

March 30, 2020

In this unprecedented time of high uncertainty from a sanitary and economic perspective, the different drivers at play are moving in different directions. These forces make the exercise of GDP forecasting quite tricky and not particularly helpful for the time being.

As of the writing of this article on 25 March, 2020, markets are leading the real economic cycle and therefore they will bottom before the end of the pandemic. However, they will calm down and be reassured on the path forward when they can anchor expectations on three points:

HMRC's new Family Investment Companies team: How family offices and ultra-wealthy individuals can protect themselves

March 10, 2020

In late February, news broke that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has set up a new team to investigate the use of Family Investment Companies (FICS) with a focus on Inheritance Tax (IHT).

In late February, news broke that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has set up a new team to investigate the use of Family Investment Companies (FICS) with a focus on Inheritance Tax (IHT).

FB Roundup: Lego, Haidilao and Lupa Systems

March 9, 2020

Founder’s great-grandson takes chair as Lego builds in China, billionaire “hotpot queen” chooses Singapore for her new family office and next-gen James Murdoch joins the fight against fake news.

Founder’s great-grandson takes chair as Lego builds in China

Thomas Kirk Kristiansen (pictured), a fourth generation member of Lego’s founding family, has taken over the role of chairman as the Danish toy giant announces record sales.

FB Roundup: Warren Buffett, Maersk, Europa-Park

February 28, 2020

Slim investment pickings but succession “urgent” for Warren Buffett, Maersk braces for coronavirus hit on 2020 business, Mack family makes a splash with biggest ever $197 million Europa-Park extension.

Slim investment pickings but succession “urgent” for Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, the influential US investor and family office principal, is having trouble finding the next big acquisition to spend $128 billion on, but his successors may have better luck.

FB Roundup: Pentland Group, Deichmann and Georges Duboeuf

January 10, 2020

Pentland consolidates global Speedo portfolio ahead of Olympics, Heinrich Deichmann on family-funded growth and philanthropy, and family succeeds Georges Duboeuf, France’s “pope of Beaujolais”.

Pentland consolidates global Speedo portfolio ahead of Olympics

British family business Pentland Group has acquired Speedo North America for $170 million, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and the competition of many Speedo athletes.

The second-generation $3 billion group announced this week it had entered into a definitive agreement for the business with apparel company PVH Corp. Speedo International licensed the Speedo trademark to a PVH subsidiary for use in North America and the Caribbean.

Reflections and predictions: Jonathan Ruffer on investing in 2020

January 9, 2020

The year of 2019 was one when many of the six impossible things before breakfast remain unresolved—with the shining exception of Brexit, and the wider resolution of domestic politics. We can still feel the political earthquake which struck the UK last month—we cannot yet see the effect of it. Most political earthquakes, when they happen, are scarcely discerned, and even those which are perceived for what they are, do not easily reveal the new pathways created from the changed landscape.

FB Roundup: JAB Holding, Estee Lauder and Electrolux

December 23, 2019

Reimann family’s JAB Holding blends coffee brands, Lauder family fortunes rise as empire grows, Wallenberg family’s Electrolux makes white goods go green.

Reimann family’s JAB Holding blends coffee brands

JAB Holding, family office of Germany’s billionaire Reimann family, is merging two of its coffee brands with a view to a major listing in 2020 as competition with Nestle heats up.