MRM's five investment crackers for Christmas – and beyond: Adrian Lowcock

It’s that time of the year again; time to search for presents for loved ones, which in my house means buying untold amounts of plastic crap for a four-year-old while recycling her gifts from years gone by for her little sister (sounds harsh but honestly, its ok, the littlest one is still in the “put every toy in my mouth to see if its food” phase)

Presents are clearly awesome and I would never not buy said plastic crap for the kids, but, for those thinking more long-term, us here at MRM HQ thought there might be some better stuff to buy for the kids (and adults too) by thinking about the exciting world of investments.

Now, I’m not for a minute suggesting anyone cancels the bike they were going to buy as a gift for little Tommy and opts for a share certificate instead. Tommy, for one, would probably not be too happy about that. But rather than spend every hard-earned penny buying eighteen tons of Lego, we have put together some potential investments for junior ISAs, or just plain ISAs, which might make a decent return over the longer term.

Investment expert and inveterate gambler that I am, the decision was made to cast the net a bit wider than myself when it came to the actual investments which show promise for the coming year (plus I basically just own a load of uber high-risk tech stocks). So over the course of the next five days, a series of experts who are far more learned than me will be giving their tips for “alternative” Christmas presents.

Without further ado, on the first day of Christmas…

Adrian Lowcock, investment director, Architas – Japanese equities

The outlook for 2018 looks fairly solid for global equities, with the period of synchronised global growth looking set to continue, and this should remain supportive of markets as corporate earnings continue to grow. Among the major markets though, there are some standout options, and one in particular.

Japanese equities look attractive, with Shinzo Abe now in a strong position to deliver on his structural reform policy following the recent election. With the political landscape fairly clear now he has won another term in office, combined with low unemployment, and consumers who are spending again, it all looks positive. Japanese markets have performed well this year and so valuations do factor some of this growth in, but they remain attractively valued compared to other developed markets.

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