• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About This Website
    • A polite reminder
  • How To
    • Use this website and benefit from the subscription option
    • Pick a financial adviser
    • Ensure your investment adviser is delivering good value
    • Get expert help with running your own portfolio
    • Pick a ‘tax wrapper’
    • Pick a Trading Platform
    • Diversify a portfolio in today’s world
    • Invest in line with your conscience
    • Research (screen for) a specific fund requirement (m)
    • Pick a fund for the future or how to be a contrarian (m)
    • Find the ‘next best thing’ and make rational sell decisions (fund switching) (m)
    • Time investment sales (skim profits) (m)
    • Interpret a Morningstar X-Ray (m)
    • Use Trustnet for Research (m)
    • How to review a neglected portfolio when the world has moved on (m)
  • *Important Information*
  • Real World
    • A Frank Introduction to Investing
    • Costs
    • Investment Risk – Your Starter For 10
    • How are advisers fees worked out?
    • 10+ top tips for investors
    • An actual portfolio review (m)
    • Benchmarks – a thorny subject
    • Disinvestment from fossil fuel businesses – are there better options?
  • Tales of the Unexpected
    • Lola
    • Round and Round the Mulberry Bush
    • FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and the lazy mind.
    • Property Development Schemes
  • For More Experienced Investors
  • Glossary with a Difference
  • Member Only Content (M)
    • Example of simple cash flow planner (m)
    • Long Reads
      • What is market shorting and is it a bad thing?
      • How to conduct a periodic portfolio review (m)
      • Investing without management (passively) – a better way? (m)
  • Portfolios and Funds (m)
    • Lessons in Portfolio Construction and Maintenance – Introduction
      • High Level Asset Allocation
      • Selecting Funds
      • Cash Flow and Tax Issues in Portfolio Construction
      • Setting Objectives and Understanding Risks
      • A suggested portfolio for Alex Bright
  • Multi Asset Academy (m)
    • Some basic basics
    • Who are Vanguard?
    • Are multi-asset funds expensive?
    • Cheap and cheerful?
    • Its all about asset allocation, but…
    • Myth and misunderstandings
    • Taking money out of multi asset funds – the pros and cons
    • Distribution funds – the forerunner of multi asset investing?
    • DIY Multi Asset – adding risk controls
    • Benchmark Fog
  • Member Login
  • Logout

Its Not Harry

Comment and opinion for retail investors in the UK

Mid Month Musings – First Casualty

13th March 2026 by Mark Potter Leave a Comment

Preface (written March 13th)

Most of what follows was written a few days ago.  In the interim, a whole range of news filtered into the mainstream, often covering elements that I had until then thought were being ignored by the main UK media. Perhaps the issue is delay, maybe because of a responsible desire for verification.  It is certainly noticeable that The Sun will run a story that is sensational must earlier than say the Daily Telegraph or the Guardian and Sky News will run a more likely propaganda report before the BBC.

The part of the text below over which I dithered the most was the first speech by the Iranian leader.  I had heard this from a questionable (based on its likely geo-political angle) source but it seemed credible.  In fact, while holding the article for final edit, I was only pondering whether to cut it, ot add a stronger caveat.  Yesterday the speech was officially published, probably not made by the man himself, who is almost certainly in hospital, but I would assess as having his approval. It was nearly exactly the same as the version I had heard, which multiple AI checks had vehemently denied existed!

Thinking time

The fact that with only an internet connection and an aging brain, I can research and to a degree forecast what is happening in the world is not a surprise to me, because that is how I have earned a living over recent years and sustained my own modest finances, with the odd ‘cock-up’of course!.  What is as surprise is that the people charged with making decisions that impact millions of lives, terminating thousands in fact, either cannot see the consequences of their decisions, or more likely suffer such psychological impairments that they ignore the appropriate advice of those both paid and well able to know what is going to happen.

I offer what follows under the general aegis of pointing out that the USA’s decision (in compliance with Israel) to start a war with Iran is the stupidest political act I have observed in my life and the potential consequences are being severely underestimated by stock markets. 

It MAY not be so bad, but my methodology has for years been about assessing probabilities, and at this time not only is the degree of risk very high, but the likely damage might be at a level we have not seen since the dot.com crash – which had an impact lasting 3 years. If I am wrong, nobody will be upset, I think.

Given the rate at which things are changing and the known flip-flopping of POTUS, I will add update my publsihed opinions more often than usual if necessary in my judgement. In the meantime, I think that what I wrote a few days back still stands up. Here is the article:

You need to be logged in to view the rest of the content. Please Log In. Not a Member? Join Us

Filed Under: Uncategorised

Reader Interactions

Click here to cancel reply.

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Mid-month Musings – September 2026
  • Deep Dive – September 2026
  • Mid Month Musings with Mark (not me!)
  • Thank You
  • Deep Dive – August 2026

Archives

Categories

  • Academic theory
  • Announcements
  • Asset Allocation
  • Basics
  • Cost of investing
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Funds
  • House rules
  • Humour
  • Innovation
  • Markets
  • Members Only
  • Monthly commentary
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Passives and Trackers
  • Politics
  • Portfolios
  • Rants
  • Research tools
  • Site Content
  • Sustainability/ESG
  • Trading
  • Uncategorised