Daily Commentary

MarketMinder’s View: As the title suggests, this piece delves into two recent UK surveys: One showing new hiring fell in December and the other reflecting mostly negative moods among British business owners. And while the coverage and details here are fine, we quibble with the article’s forward-looking tone. For example, one corporate executive quoted herein views December’s weak hiring as a sign companies are showing restraint to offset today’s rising costs and uncertainty, noting this caution likely lingers into 2026. But employment decisions reflect past economic conditions—so December’s hiring numbers likely reflect some economic weakness from 2025, not weakness to come. What about the notion falling business optimism is further reason for worry? “However, Make UK said the survey also signalled that the significant increases in business costs, especially on employment and energy, were threatening to reach ‘a tipping point whereby investment plans will be cancelled or shifted overseas.’” But surveys aren’t predictive, either—they reflect how respondents feel in the moment. Feelings can change! Therefore, we wouldn’t go too far in assessing any economic outcomes here. If anything, this is more evidence that sentiment remains low in the UK.

MarketMinder’s View: Here is a sobering lesson about liquidity and the importance of understanding what exactly you’re buying. “Across Canada, investors who poured billions into private real estate funds suddenly can’t touch their money. Stung by a deep downturn in the country’s housing market, many of the funds have restricted cash distributions, client withdrawals or both, in a process the industry calls ‘gating.’ Often, the companies don’t say when access will resume.” We highlight this story not to pick on any investor or fund, but because it sheds light on the issue of illiquidity, a major factor worth considering. Because the underlying assets (real estate, in this case) are much harder to sell, the funds discussed here have gate provisions allowing fund managers or other admins to block sales or withdrawals indefinitely. The aim is to prevent forced selling of portfolio properties at firesale prices to meet redemption requests, and it is pretty standard. But it can present a considerable problem if fundholders need to sell and access their cash quickly, say, for a big purchase or emergency use. Mind you, private Canadian real estate funds are a small, niche corner of the market, so we doubt there are broader investor implications here. But it is a useful refresher on a commonly overlooked risk.

MarketMinder’s View: There are several publicly traded companies mentioned here, so please note MarketMinder doesn’t make individual security recommendations. We are here solely for the broader theme: building up sensible investing habits. The article follows three young investors who learned about the stock market amid the postpandemic “meme stock” era, when some hit it big and others crashed out—a “wild west” environment that drew in some speculative types and spooked others. However, new data seems to suggest that more young folks have warmed up and/or begun investing with an eye on the long term. “And while observers worried that the meme stock craze would lead a generation of investors to double down on risky, short-term bets, more than 60 percent of investors with less than five years of experience say they are more patient investors now than when they began, according to Charles Schwab’s 2025 Modern Wealth survey.” We love to hear this. From the jump, we saw meme stocks as a short-lived moment of froth that drove some fear and greed among investors, regardless of age. But with experience, it appears some newer investors are internalizing some critical lessons that will serve them well (e.g., maxing out retirement plans and diversifying). Perhaps the kids will be all right indeed.