Gareth Culpan Financial Planning

Gareth Culpan Financial Planning A financial planning practice providing retirement, investment, tax and protection planning to individuals and business owners.

Just over a week to go until Driffield Show 2026. We’ll be at stand C49 this year, between the main event ring and the R...
14/07/2026

Just over a week to go until Driffield Show 2026. We’ll be at stand C49 this year, between the main event ring and the Rix Pavillion so come say 👋!

WeekWatchThe Iran conflict reignited again last week after the two sides traded missiles and Trump declared the ceasefir...
13/07/2026

WeekWatch

The Iran conflict reignited again last week after the two sides traded missiles and Trump declared the ceasefire ‘over’.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the resumption of hostilities led to oil prices increasing. The conflict reopening would see the Strait of Hormuz close, and the world’s oil supply again choked. However, so far there has been no market meltdown. For example, the fresh uncertainty has helped push US government bond yields up, but they remain well below their May peaks.

This indicates investors believe the rhetoric to be more sabre rattling, and so are playing down the prospect of a longer-term conflict. With the US mid-terms just months away, and inflationary effects somewhat limited so far, there is expected to be little appetite to get bogged down in an unpopular, regional quagmire.

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WeekWatchJune’s US jobs report, released just before markets closed for the 4th July holiday, raised quite a few eyebrow...
06/07/2026

WeekWatch

June’s US jobs report, released just before markets closed for the 4th July holiday, raised quite a few eyebrows. 57,000 new jobs were created in the month, well short of the 113,000 estimate. The hospitality and leisure sectors lost jobs, at odds with expectations the FIFA World Cup would provide a boost.

The market reaction was to push stocks higher, while bond prices fell (yields move in the opposite direction). In the stock market, the rotation continued away from mega-cap AI-related companies. Previous laggards, such as healthcare and consumer-related companies rallied.

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WeekWatchMarkets endured a tough period last week, despite oil prices finally falling to their pre-Iran conflict level. ...
29/06/2026

WeekWatch

Markets endured a tough period last week, despite oil prices finally falling to their pre-Iran conflict level.

Following a 60-day ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding signed earlier in June, Brent has fallen rapidly from its mid-May peak of $110 a barrel, reaching just over $72 a barrel last week. The last time prices were this low was on 28 February, the day the US and Israel began strikes on Iran.

Current oil prices suggest traders believe the US lacks the political will to reopen hostilities. It is worth noting that oil prices at the start of the year were closer to $60 a barrel, so there is still potential for it to fall further.

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WeekWatchAfter weeks of speculation and growing pressure, Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister on 22...
22/06/2026

WeekWatch

After weeks of speculation and growing pressure, Keir Starmer announced his resignation as prime minister on 22 June. It comes after just under two years in office and means the UK will soon have its fifth prime minister in as many years.

Immediately after the announcement, the UK market took Starmer’s resignation largely in its stride. The FTSE was very marginally down while gilts held steady in the hours after the news was released on Monday morning. However, a big question, not least for markets, will be who becomes the next chancellor if, as expected, Rachel Reeves is moved from her current position.

Elsewhere, it was a holiday-shortened week in the US, with markets ending higher. We also saw the tentative reopening of Strait of Hormuz, as well as the signing of a 60-day memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the US and Iran in advance of more substantive talks.

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Great afternoon at Driffield Golf Club supporting Agricultural Local Alliance Network and Farm Safety Foundation Pleased...
15/06/2026

Great afternoon at Driffield Golf Club supporting Agricultural Local Alliance Network and Farm Safety Foundation

Pleased to say I’m better at finance than I am at golf!

WeekWatchThe US and Iran have agreed on a framework peace agreement, announced late on Sunday and due to be signed later...
15/06/2026

WeekWatch

The US and Iran have agreed on a framework peace agreement, announced late on Sunday and due to be signed later this week. The memorandum of understanding, which sent markets soaring on Monday morning, should see the immediate toll-free opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices fell nearly 4% in early Asian trading, while equity markets jumped.

While the Iran deal will likely dominate headlines over the coming days, last week the big story was the record-breaking initial public offering (IPO) of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The IPO shattered previous records. Shares opened at $150 on Friday, rising to $160 by the end of the day, valuing the company at over $2 trillion.

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WeekWatchBoth shares and bonds pulled back toward the end of last week, in response to expected interest rate increases,...
08/06/2026

WeekWatch

Both shares and bonds pulled back toward the end of last week, in response to expected interest rate increases, with the tech-heavy US Nasdaq index closing -4.2% on Friday, while the broader S&P 500 ended -2.6%, only three days after reaching a record high.

Bond yields rose (and prices fell), as higher interest rates make existing bonds with lower coupons (interest rates on bonds) less attractive. Markets are now signalling the possibility of two US rate hikes by early 2027. Elsewhere, oil, gold and bitcoin also retreated.

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WeekWatchIncreasing hopes that a deal between the US and Iran might finally be reached and continued AI optimism helped ...
01/06/2026

WeekWatch

Increasing hopes that a deal between the US and Iran might finally be reached and continued AI optimism helped push US markets to new highs last week.

The S&P 500 has now risen for nine consecutive weeks; its longest streak since 2023. In fact, the S&P 500 is now trading at more than 10% above levels seen before the war with Iran.

While US equities seem relatively unaffected by the conflict, this doesn’t appear to be the case in all markets. Missile exchanges between the two sides on Thursday brought the FTSE 100 down, as the UK index finished the week slightly in the red. So far, the FTSE’s performance has been in marked contrast to the S&P 500. While the S&P 500 is up more than 10%, the FTSE 100 is down more than 4% over the same period.

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WeekWatchIn the US, markets delivered further gains. The S&P 500 rose for the eighth consecutive week. By style, small-c...
26/05/2026

WeekWatch

In the US, markets delivered further gains. The S&P 500 rose for the eighth consecutive week. By style, small-cap and value outperformed growth and large-cap. There’s also news on the SpaceX IPO and AI results.

Meanwhile, UK government bonds (gilts) also had an improved week. One reason was that “bad news is good”, with a rise in the domestic unemployment rate to 5% in March, from 4.9% the month before. Market indicators are now signalling that the Bank of England will make two 0.25% interest rate hikes this year, a reduction from the two to three that had recently been expected.

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