March Team August 2025
Hello and a very warm welcome to the Vizion Wealth Team News. We hope you have all managed to enjoy some of the recent lovely weather, and maybe have some exciting summer holidays to look forward to.
Market Update: Markets revisit risk-off
This has been one of the busiest weeks for potentially market moving information in a long time. We’ll start with market moves, and see what that tells us about the way in which the information has added up, and what are currently the most important factors.
Market Update: A $500bn sweetener from Japan
Last week had lots of quite important information but no single aspect has dominated. Equity markets are higher again, bond yields are stable and companies tell us that, on balance, things are difficult but okay. US retail investors are choosing to back riskier “meme” stocks. June’s UK consumption growth was soft and government finances remain under pressure, partly because people are choosing saving over spending.
Achieving Early Retirement and Living Life to The Fullest
For many, the dream of early retirement is about much more than stepping away from work. It's about embracing freedom - to travel, pursue passions, or spend precious time with loved ones. But turning that dream into reality takes careful thought, strategic planning, and a solid financial foundation.
Market Update: Flowing with the tide
Markets keep rising steadily and gently, on an incoming tide of liquidity. Investors appear to have plenty of cash and are happy to deploy it into risk assets, largely thanks to expectations of interest rate cuts. Both intraday and day-to-day stock market volatility (average price movements) are back to lows. Markets are also increasingly optimistic about economic growth, especially in the US. If that sounds like the exact same description as last week, that is because it is. Markets’ summer love-in continues.
Market Update: Trump turns nasty; markets turn nice
It felt like the first week of summer holidays. Stock market volatility dropped again – both in measured and implied terms – and the 9 July deadline on Donald Trump’s tariff moratorium was no deadline at all. The US president pushed back tariff implementation, initially warning 14 countries (mostly in Asia) that they will face higher import taxes unless trade deals are signed by the start of August. Today, he expanded those threats to Europe and Canada.
Protecting Your Business Through Shareholder and Partnership Protection
Running a business involves more than just managing operations and pursuing growth, it also requires planning for the unexpected. Shareholder and partnership protection is one often overlooked but vital element of safeguarding a business’s continuity and financial stability.
Market Update: Markets bask in the sunshine
Sunshine and all-time highs last week. US stocks started their 4th of July holiday in fine spirits. Encouragingly, smaller and mid-cap American companies have outperformed the ‘Magnificent Seven’ tech stocks over the last fortnight, and were buoyed again by Thursday’s strong jobs market report. It got lost in all the negative coverage of UK politics and bond troubles but, remarkably, our equity market set a new all-time high too.
Market Update: Markets recalibrate to Trump 2.0
What a week. No sooner had the US shocked the world by bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities than President Trump declared a ceasefire and subsequent end of the Israel-Iran war. More astonishing still was that the Israeli and Iranian governments obeyed, albeit only after their strikes made ‘the Donald’ lose his rag in the most unpresidential manner the White House lawn has ever witnessed in public.
How to Build a Stronger Investment Portfolio Through Diversification
Investing can often feel overwhelming. Markets swing, headlines shift, and uncertainty seems like a constant. But one strategy consistently proves itself in times of volatility: diversification.
Market Update: The risks are real – but priced in
We have, unsurprisingly, had a bit of a down week. The Israel-Iran war has pushed up oil prices about 4%, with a slight knock to equities. The ‘safe haven’ dollar has risen but only slightly, up 0.5% against a stable sterling. None of these moves were too sharp – barring perhaps oil’s gain – and it is fair to say that the market reaction has been more muted than the human one. Experience of the Russia-Ukraine should caution us against thinking this will be over quick or that markets will be insulated, but it does seem like many of the...
Market Update: Calm but not comfortable
Last week’s political events did not disturb markets until Israel’s military action on Iran on Friday morning. Even then, the reactions were relatively muted. In the days prior, Brent crude oil rose from $66 per barrel to $70 but other markets showed no discernible price reaction. Investors seem to be waiting for the actual event before deciding to move, as many past rumours have been nothing more, while much else can happen while one waits.
Navigating the New UK Inheritance Tax Rules: What Families Need to Know Before 2026
In a move that could affect thousands of families and business owners across the UK, the government’s October 2024 Budget introduced sweeping changes to Inheritance Tax (IHT). These changes, set to take effect in April 2026, mark the most significant shift in how estates are taxed in decades.
Market Update: Summer starts with less spring
Last week, a number of the world’s stock markets edged closer to all-time highs. Thursday’s Musk-Trump spat weighed on Tesla shares, though, and therefore the US’ S&P 500 (and the ‘Magnificent Seven’ tech stocks in particular). Fortunately, other than entertaining the general public and knocking Tesla’s share price, there seems to be limited investment impact.
Market Update: Complacency or checks and balances?
Last week’s pullback proved to be just a blip in the impressive stock market recovery. On tariffs, markets were buoyed in the early part of the week by the notion of the so-called “TACO trade” (Trump Always Chickens Out) and then, on Thursday, the US Court of International Trade’s ruling that the tariffs already imposed were illegal – though an appeals court quickly suspended the decision, allowing tariffs in the meantime. The trade court’s ruling made markets happy but Trump angry, as did the TACO epithet.
Vizion Wealth Welcomes New Partner, Tean Hatt, to Leadership Team
We are delighted to announce that Tean Hatt, our experienced Chartered Independent Financial Adviser, has now been promoted to Partner at Vizion Wealth after recently being approved by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This exciting development marks an important step forward for our business and reflects the strength, dedication, and professionalism of our team. Tean’s promotion to Partner recognises not only his deep expertise and experience in financial planning but also his continued commitment to building strong, long-term relationships with our clients and being integral to the ongoing growth and development of Vizion Wealth
Market Update: Return of the bond vigilantes
After weeks of unimpeded recovery, last week’s pull back in global stock prices was probably to be expected. The story that Trump is back on the tariff war-path with the EU, planning to impose 50% levies (possibly before the “90-day” deadline) has pushed all developed markets as we write. After the period of playing nice, many investors expected some nastiness so the shock will be limited, and seen as a negotiating tactic. This story will unfold over the coming days.
Trump’s Tariffs Create Turbulence in Global Markets
The first quarter of 2025 has been anything but steady for global markets. With the return of President Donald Trump’s administration in the United States, economic tensions have surged worldwide. Global stock markets have been left rattled as sweeping tariffs—intended to bolster the American economy—were introduced.
Market Update: A rally that requires belief
A good week for US stocks has erased the year’s losses in dollar terms (in sterling terms, they are mildly negative). The tech-heavy NASDAQ index is officially in a bullish trend – passing the 20% up mark from April’s trough. The recovery from last month’s “Liberation Day” sell-off has been extraordinary for most major equity regions, many of whom are still beating the US year-to-date.
Market Update: Markets calm but trouble still bubbles
Despite the India-Pakistan hostilities, markets remained calm this week. Measured price volatility came down substantially although, due to global economic uncertainty, implied future volatility – the cost of insuring your assets against sudden losses – is still relatively high. But investors seem to feel that US trade wars will be sufficiently resolved and growth will resume.