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Christmas Present Tips for Guys

Christmas Shopping Tips for Guys

giftgreen1Most of us guys are useless at Christmas shopping. Here's a few tips I've picked up over the years.

Ladies, you might want to share this with the men in your family to avoid getting an undesirable and badly wrapped present this Christmas.

  1. Buying your Christmas presents at a petrol station or dairy on Christmas morning really isn't the done thing - apparently not everyone wants a funnel, box of biscuits or a car care kit. Don't do it.
  2. Get started early, no not on Christmas Eve, yesterday was already too late.
  3. First thing in the morning is the best time to Christmas shop, and I mean first thing, teenagers are still in bed.
  4. It's not the thought that counts, it's how MUCH thought that counts.
  5. Cash is a GREAT present for teenagers - and me.
  6. If you must give gift vouchers make sure they are from a shop the recipient actually shops in and try and avoid those with an expiry date.
  7. Wrapping and cards are important, you and I know it's just paper but for some reason they are important.
  8. Before you start browsing in a shop check that it does gift wrapping and accept the service - wait if necessary. If the shop doesn't do gift wrapping move on to the next. Unless you are an expert present wrapper - Yeah Right!
  9. Even if every present you buy is gift wrapped, buy plenty of wrapping paper and sellotape. You are going to need it because dairy's and petrol stations don't gift wrap and being a bloke you'll probably ignore number 1.

Guys ignore the above at your peril and have a wonderful Christmas.

Posted in Commentary on the Investment Environment.

It's started but don't panic

The Federal Reserve surprised the markets last Friday, not by the move to increase the rate at which it charges banks to borrow funds, an increase from 0.50% to 0.75% but by the timing, most were expecting this to take place further down the road. However the first move had to come sometime and now seems as good a time as any, the markets are on a much firmer footing, there is growth and most predict growth to accelerate into the third and fourth quarters 2010- yes Greece has put up a minor speed bump but it will be sorted (first major test for the EU and they will want to be seen to be doing the right thing). The Inflation data out of the US on Friday was better than expected. So far from panicking investors should view this move - the first of many - as a positive in so far as the move wouldn't have been made if the Economy couldn't withstand it. There will be other such moves not just to interest rates - after all this will not really affect the average man in the street at all - but the Fed also has to reduce its balance sheet from the 2.1 Trillion dollars it has expanded to over the past 12-18 months - yes that is a lot of zero's.

So embrace the news its only just staring but all that is good for equities as it should mean we are back on the road to a more normal market place, and if that is the case at the prices equities are cheap!

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