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Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for March 17th in 3:11 minutes.

☘️ Finimized over a Guinness in The Palace Bar, Dublin (🌤 13°C/56°F)

Today's big stories

The European Central Bank upped interest rates again – despite the banking industry’s vertigo
This stock-picking tool could help you find the diamonds in the rough – Read Now
High-end British retailer John Lewis lost its luster for middle-class clientele

European Hiking Trip

What’s Going On Here?

The European Central Bank (ECB) upped interest rates on Thursday, despite market turmoil.

What Does This Mean?

The “between a rock and a hard place” metaphors are growing stale at this stage, so here’s the truth served neat: the ECB is in a serious bind. SVB’s collapse, driven in large part by higher rates, has given the world goosebumps about global banking systems’ frailty. And then there’s the issue of Credit Suisse – already beset by its own laundry list of issues – which was tottering like a man eight drinks deep until Switzerland’s central bank threw it a lifeline. It was only natural, then, that some investors called on the ECB to stop serving round after round of jumbo hikes – but in vain: the central bank dished out another 0.5-percentage-point hike, taking rates to their highest levels since late 2008. There was some evidence of caution, mind you: the ECB broke with tradition and kept mum about its next steps.

Why Should I Care?

For markets: A problem shared.
The world’s going to have to wait and see how the flailing banking system affects the ECB’s ability to tackle rising prices. After all, inflation’s still closer to double digits than it is to the central bank’s 2% target. But hey, at least misery has company: the US and UK have to answer their own “to hike or not to hike?” dilemmas next week – and there are no easy options on the table. The ECB’s backing itself, though, reassuring investors that it’ll be able to support the bloc’s financial system if it needs to.

The bigger picture: Dimming hopes.
Whichever poison the Federal Reserve picks, the banking debacle has already darkened the US economic outlook. On Thursday Goldman Sachs upped the odds of a recession hitting in the next year to 35%. Still, compared to the average economist, who says it’s more like 60%, Goldman seems like an optimist.

You might also like: Here’s how a market on edge sent Credit Suisse plummeting.

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Analyst Take

How To Use A Stock Screener To Find Hidden Gems

Reda Farran, Analyst

So you’ve decided to invest in stocks, but you’re not really sure where to start.

You’re not alone there: a lot of would-be investors find themselves in the very same position.

And that shouldn’t come as a surprise: with tens of thousands of stocks worldwide, the idea of sifting through them all to find appropriate and attractive investments can seem pretty daunting.

But one solution to that is stock screening.

That’s today’s Insight: how you can use a stock screener to find the good stuff.

Read or listen to the Insight here

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Peek inside the strategies of millionaire investors

Let’s be real, anyone who has a million pounds in their ISA is probably doing something right.

Investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) counts over 500 ISA millionaires as its customers. These investors have spent years developing the investment strategies that have led to their accounts looking so plump.

It’s worth remembering, they’re long-term plays: most of those millionaires have traded very little, and sometimes not at all, in the last year.

You, though, can cop their wisdom in just a few minutes. Discover their investing secrets right here.

Find Out More

Important information

Figures correct on 31/12/2022

Stocks and Shares ISA investors need to be happy to make their own investment decisions, and understand that investments can go down as well as up in value, so you may get back less than you invest. The information on this page isn’t personal advice – please ask us for financial advice if you’re not sure which investments are right for you. Tax rules for Stocks and Shares ISAs can change and their benefits depend on your circumstances.

Fancy, Not Free

What’s Going On Here?

Upmarket British retailer John Lewis reported piling losses on Thursday.

What Does This Mean?

When the British middle classes collapse on the sofa after a long day of tennis and farmer’s markets, there’s a strong chance that piece of velvety furniture came from one particular shop: John Lewis. But these days, even well-heeled folk are cutting costs, and that’s driving them to cheaper fashion and homeware stores, and even – good heavens – to discount grocers. To be fair, the retailer didn’t do itself any favors: competitors stole a march on its upmarket supermarket Waitrose, which was snail-slow in capping grocery prices. That meant that 2022’s overall sales came in lower than the year before – and with inflation adding $200 million to costs, the chain ultimately lost over $280 million.

Why Should I Care?

The bigger picture: Losing Money 101.
Take note, CEOs: John Lewis has just delivered a masterclass on how not to do business. In choppy times like these, companies should be playing to their strengths, but John Lewis is making forays into housing and expanding its financial services offerings – distraction projects, which could still go either way. Then there’s the issue of cost-cutting: John Lewis just announced that it’s probably going to shed even more workers, which will further hit its once-renowned customer service. That won’t put a smile on the faces of high-earning Pippas and Hugos, who’ll buy their organic pâté somewhere else, thank you very much.

Zooming out: Prepare for worse.
As if life wasn't hard enough for UK consumers, a think tank predicted this week that the coming years will see the country's tax burden jump to its highest level in 75 years. See, while the government hasn’t announced any income tax hikes, they've cleverly frozen tax thresholds. And with inflation upping salaries, folk are going to be pushed willy-nilly into higher tax brackets, where they’ll wind up paying more – even as their purchasing power declines.

You might also like: Morgan Stanley says the UK could deliver a huge surprise in 2023.

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💬 Quote of the day

“I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go into the library and read a good book.”

– Groucho Marx (an American comedian, actor, and writer)

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A penny saved could be a million earned

Investors don’t become millionaires without savvy strategies and careful money management.

So you could say it’s a real endorsement that over 500 ISA millionaires – ranging from those in their thirties to ultra-experienced centenarians – choose to invest with Hargreaves Lansdown.

And boy, do they make the most of those accounts: HL’s research shows that some millionaire investors have maxed out their ISA allowances every year for decades.

That’s true dedication, and for good reason: the more you use your ISA allowance, the more of your returns you’ll shelter from tax.

Find out more tips from millionaire ISA investors right here.

Take A Peek

Important information

Figures correct on 31/12/2022

Stocks and Shares ISA investors need to be happy to make their own investment decisions, and understand that investments can go down as well as up in value, so you may get back less than you invest. The information on this page isn’t personal advice – please ask us for financial advice if you’re not sure which investments are

🌍 Finimize Live

🥳 Coming Up In The Next Week…

All events in UK time.

📈 Five Shares For ISAs – How HL Researches: 5pm, March 20th
🌎 Three Ways Long-Term Investors Can Act On Climate Change: 12pm, March 21st
🚀 What Will Be The Next Big Thing In Artificial Intelligence?: 1pm, March 22nd

👀 And After That…

📚 A Guide To Maximizing Your Tax Allowance: 5pm, April 3rd
🔮 Future of Finance: Waking Up To The Retail Investor (London): 6.30pm, April 12th
🙋‍♀️ Women And Investing: Powering Up Your Pension: 5pm, April 25th
💥 Investing 101: The DIY Investor: 1pm, April 27th
🎉 Modern Investor Summit 2023: 12pm, December 5th and 6th

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Finimize - 🔥 Hike-way to hell

Today's big stories

European Hiking Trip

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

How To Use A Stock Screener To Find Hidden Gems

Peek inside the strategies of millionaire investors

Fancy, Not Free

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

A penny saved could be a million earned

🥳 Coming Up In The Next Week…

👀 And After That…

Older messages

😎 China’s still got it

🚨 The Fed could be flummoxed

⌚️ Your best asset could be on your wrist

🫵 What Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse means for you

☝️ The US-EU bidding war

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