ECB cuts interest rates

Earlier this week, I said that interest rates look set to stay low. This week, the ECB announced that it is reducing interest rates. Trump is demanding that the US federal reserve also cut interest rates and the UK base rates stand at just .75%. Other central banks are keeping rates low in order to stimulate the flagging economy. The ECB is also introducing other stimulus measures such as pumping money into the economy by buying €2.8 billion worth of bonds. As I said, this is good news for borrowers but not so good for savers. In the UK you can get mortgages at just over 1%, but in some countries you can get mortgage is it close to zero or even negative rate mortgages. It should be a good time to fix your mortgage rate as there is also a bit of a mortgage work going on with lenders falling over themselves to attract customers. The property market in the UK has been in the doldrums for the last few years, with some areas such as London fallen sharply. The average price rises in the rest of the country are barely moving. However, with the conclusion of Brexit finally in sight and ‘no deal’ looking like it is off the table, some agents are reporting an increase in buyer activity. With Sterling still down at just over £1.20 against the dollar, properties must look cheap for foreign buyers. The pound could also benefit from the Brexit bounce once we come out of the EU. The pound reaches the highest level since July If you are an overseas investor looking to get into the UK market I’m looking for a partner, let me know. My personal view is that we have not seen the end of market turbulence, so I’m holding back on investing in the stock market and will only consider below market value shares and property. Price of gold, silver and other precious metals has risen sharply in the past year, indicating that some investors are nervous and are looking for a safe haven. I recently reported that the Chinese businessman Jack Ma said that we should all be working 12 hours a day six days a week. In the UK, some believe that we should push towards a 35 or four day working week. This was introduced in France several years ago and has caused problems for business. There is an argument that working too many hours causes fatigue and problems, but any top-down legislation trying to force a shorter working week for businesses needs to be carefully considered. Businesses cannot afford to just pay people the same salary for five days while working only four, which would add an extra 20% to their bottom line. Other news The London stock exchange has rejected Hong Kong bid thank goodness. Word of the Day Quantitative Easing The short answer is Quantitative easing government central banks printing money. Putting more money back into the economy in order to stimulate economic activity. In practice, QE is a monetary policy whereby a central bank buys predetermined amounts of government bonds or other financial assets in order to inject liquidity directly into the economy. There are more examples and practical steps to getting rich and being happy in my book, Yes, money can buy happiness, I cover the 3 R’s of Money Management, the Money B.E.L.I.E.F System and much more. Check it out on Amazon http://bit.ly/2MoneyBook.