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Prices of commodities are surging despite the fact that economies, many of them still in the grip of lockdowns, are still far from full recovery from the pandemic.

War risk is “consistently underestimated by money people” says FT commentator John Dizard following the escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan. The latter runs itself as a highly successful independent nation, but China insists it is a breakaway province that it is determined to recover.

In Germany the harsh winter has conveyed dramatic warning of how nasty life will become as it proceeds with its extreme Energiewende policy to rely on renewables to meet its electricity needs.

The first thing most people look at when considering an investment is the annual rate of return they expect to be able to make out of it. Return is the “rent” you enjoy as payment for investing your capital rather than going out and spending it, and also the “reward” for the risk you take.

Those of us who have been around long enough know something about booms and busts (I was lucky enough to choose to exit the dotcom mania on the day the market peaked). So, is this the right time to flee the share markets? Not yet. I agree with Eoin Treacy that although “there is clear evidence a mania is evolving… there is no evidence it has reached its peak.”

Crossing a main street in a Vietnamese city is unnerving. As you follow the tourist guide advice, ignoring traffic risk as you step out, boldly striding forward at a steady pace, you are engulfed by a torrent of motorcycles. They swerve as they sweep past you, never touching you.

The pandemic has devastated government finances around the world. Savage shutdowns have destroyed millions of businesses and crippled many more, pushing them into debt to survive.

Emerging markets offer many attractive firms that offer growth regardless of conditions in their domestic economies, say New York asset managers Jennison Associates.

2020 was another glorious year for Big Tech as lockdowns and a stay-at-home culture gave an explosive boost to demands for its products and services. But perhaps it was the apogee of their decades-long rise from obscurity to emergence as the world’s most powerful corporations.

Investing is a full-time profession for many people. Countless books have been written on the hows and whys of making smart investment decisions. If you’re an expatriate, you must also consider the role that different currencies and tax jurisdictions play in your portfolio.