FTSE 350

UK Pensions Risk - Time to Rebalance and Allocate to Cash and Gold

Why did Jeff Bezos shock markets on an otherwise quiet Friday, with Amazon announcing it would acquire Whole Foods for $14 billion? The reason is because he wants to do to the grocery sector what he has already done to bricks and mortar retailers and discount stores, who as we have shown in the past are in a tailspin with a record number of store closures expected in 2017. And as the following chart from BofA shows, the grocery sector is already well on its way...

• Major Bourses on Course to End Month Sharply Higher (WSJ)
• Brent crude lower on strong Middle East oil output (Reuters)
• Treasuries Lose Their Lead Over Shares as Fed Moves Toward Shift (BBG)
• Lost Decade for Value Stocks Tests Faithful Who Say End is Nigh (BBG)
• Iraqi army pause at southern edge of Falluja as IS fights back (Reuters)
• Risky Reprise of Debt Binge Stars U.S. Companies Not Consumers (BBG)
• The Untold Story Behind Saudi Arabia’s 41-Year U.S. Debt Secret (BBG)