Upside Blog

Published on 23/03/2023

"And so I wake in the morning and I step outside....I scream at the top of my lungs, Whats going on"

Published on 15/03/2023

What is going on the Valley?

Published on 01/03/2023

First the best....second...oh...

Published on 01/02/2023

Surfing or Skill, +17% YTD

Published on 03/01/2023

Thank you to all of you for your support in 2022 - building a new guided investment tool is some undertaking, and knowing you are all in this with us is hugely appreciated.

Published on 30/12/2022

As 2022 ends and with it - it appears - the long shadow of covid, there are a great deal of challenges, and opportunities ahead. Mark and I sat down to talk about the big changes over the coming years in our Two Schillings and much of this remains relevant. Much of it too was wrong. We explore why and what next in a series of TOTP blogs. We hope you enjoy.

Published on 19/12/2022

There are hundreds of micro factors that impact the price of a stock.

Published on 07/12/2022

Proved by science, powered by the crowd and directed by you.

Published on 16/11/2022

Is this the bottom, or the end?

Published on 01/11/2022

Until recently, active and passive strategies have kept their own territories like airlines’ first/business/economy class seat classifications simply because of the difference of its costs and level of customisation. Today’s retail investment environment, however, is challenging from almost any perspective.

Published on 26/09/2022

How does the saying go? "The rich invest in time, the poor invest in money". Well good for the rich who have so much money they can simply concentrate on time. But actually, when you think about it, money comes and goes, but time, it’s only a one-way street with that elusive beast. You’ll never get any time back.

Published on 20/09/2022

Investing can be risky, let’s face it. We hear horror stories of ordinary people losing £5k on the markets and that’s what sticks with us, that’s what makes the headlines. But actually, why did those people lose £5k?

Published on 12/09/2022

Investing can be boring. Good investing should be boring; you should sleep soundly knowing your money is working hard for you with little input. So how do we spice it up a little, without putting your money on the line with added risk? At Upsie, we make it personal.

Published on 05/09/2022

Financial Independence Retire Early (or F.I.R.E) is a lifestyle movement based on frugality and aggressive investing with the aim of retirement in your 30s and 40s. But is it a movement for you? Let’s find out…

Published on 31/08/2022

When you are looking at the environmental or social impact of a company you might want to invest in, it can be a minefield. First, you need to consider your personal values - does it align with your beliefs? And then - perhaps more perplexing - you have to consider the data.

Published on 22/08/2022

Finding confidence when investing in stocks can sometimes be difficult. Investing can feel like it’s for someone else; someone who is cleverer, someone who has more money or time. But how about we reframe it?

Published on 08/08/2022

One of the most successful investors of our time is Peter Lynch, a man who between 1977 and 1990 averaged 29% annual returns at the mutual fund he managed, consistently more than double the S&P 500. He did this by investing in what he knows.

Published on 01/08/2022

Times are tough and the cost of living crisis is biting hard. Everything from energy bills through to butter is seeing a surge in price, yet our wages have hardly risen and our savings are flat as a pancake. Frugality has taken over our lives, but not by choice so now we need to build up our financial resilience.

Published on 20/07/2022

Climate change often feels like a looming presence in our lives and its effects are being felt all over the world, from rising sea levels, drought, floods and severe heat warnings becoming “normal”.

Published on 11/07/2022

If you’d invested in the S&P 500 in September 2007 your portfolio would have been down 42% by end of 2008. Feels like today, right? If you’re not sure what to do now that your investments have plummeted, how’s this for a persuasive argument for long-term investing? If you held those S&P 500 investments until now, your portfolio would be up 139%.

Published on 21/04/2022

For investors, supermarkets aren’t just a place to buy food, but also a place to get investment inspiration. But if you’re looking at these spaces through an ESG lens, how green are UK supermarkets?

Published on 30/03/2022

The decision to move towards green energy is a noble and good one. The decision to sanction Russia, too, a proportional one (perhaps). However, for years we have grown used to decisions without consequence. But there is always a price to be paid.

Published on 23/03/2022

In the the first *Investing in a crisis* blog - we covered the possibilities or probabilities of an extreme outcome, and assigned odds or probabilities to certain major outcomes.

Published on 03/03/2022

As we watch the terrible events unfold in Ukraine and offer our support to those caught up in the conflict in whatever way we can, it also brings up how the markets can be affected by conflict, like the one we see happening today.

Published on 17/02/2022

Since 2009 central banks around the world have taken interest rates down towards zero, crushing the yield curve, and moving investors up the risk curve. At the same time, they started buying huge amounts of debt. Is this Jenga tower about to topple?

Published on 20/09/2021

Continuing our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss their investment landscape predictions for the future.

Published on 09/09/2021

Since the start of the pandemic, pet ownership has gone through the roof. There have been many news stories detailing the fates of these pandemic puppies, both good and bad, but what does this rise in pet ownership mean for all the associated companies and their stock prices?

Published on 06/09/2021

Continuing our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss the future of Fintech.

Published on 27/08/2021

This week, a special bonus video in our series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. In todays video we outline everything you need to know ahead of today's announcement from the Fed.

Published on 06/08/2021

Continuing our fortnightly series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers, now working at Upside - we feature William Potts, Founder and CEO and Mark Schilling, Head of Talent and Client Acquisition at Upside Technologies discussing public versus private markets.

Published on 05/08/2021

A recent report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) put the cost of the pandemic in the UK at approximately £372 billion. PAC has warned that UK taxpayers will be paying for coronavirus (COVID-19) for decades. But what does this mean for investors now, and in the future?

Published on 23/07/2021

Continuing our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss the re-opening of economies post the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Published on 15/07/2021

We continue our series of articles written by one of our users, a Singapore-based Portfolio Manager named ATEC who has been sharing thoughts and highlights from their investing research. They cover everything from individual stock names and industries, as well as regulation and the investing landscape.

Published on 09/07/2021

Continuing our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss the difference between gambling and investing.

Published on 08/07/2021

Taxes are what everyone loves to hate. Apart from taking a chunk of our hard-earned cash, we all dislike something we don’t fully understand. It’s heavy, complex and can be less than fun to figure out the intricacies... and inflation is effectively a hidden tax.

Published on 30/06/2021

A bonus video from our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss tapering.

Published on 25/06/2021

Continuing our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team discuss meme stocks.

Published on 24/06/2021

In recent months, Upside has been teaming with one of our users, a Singapore-based Portfolio Manager named ATEC who has been sharing thoughts and highlights from their investing research. They cover everything from individual stock names and industries, as well as regulation and the investing landscape.

Published on 17/06/2021

Earlier this year, researchers at Harvard University revealed that they have developed a new battery that will revolutionise the electric vehicle (EV) market. With all manufacturers now racing headlong into EV development, what difference will this battery make, what other solutions are being developed and what are the markets saying?

Published on 11/06/2021

The first in our fortnightly video series reviewing the markets and hot investing topics, delivered by ex-Hedge Fund Managers now working at Upside. This week our team covers highlights from the Bitcoin 2021 Conference in Miami.

Published on 10/06/2021

The pandemic saw life as we know it grind to a halt, and spelled death for airline stocks. The majority of flights were grounded, airline staff were laid off and bankruptcy was looming for many big names. So why have more than 90 new airlines decided that 2021 is the year to launch, and what does this say about the recovery of the aviation industry?

Published on 03/06/2021

Since the 1990s, demand for coffee has increased by 50% worldwide, and today the global coffee industry is valued at $100 billion. So go grab yourself a cup of joe and get ready to delve into what Business Insider labelled the second most sought-after commodity in the entire world.

Published on 27/05/2021

In November last year gaming empire Roblox went public and when the market closed on the day of their launch the company was valued at $45.3 billion. Since their IPO, shares have remained steady around the $70 mark and Q1 2021 results are looking positive. To those without kids, or uninterested in gaming, this company leapt out of the blue to become one of the most talked-about IPOs of the decade.

Published on 20/05/2021

With summer last year cancelled, and the prospect of spending many more months working from the kitchen table, 2020 became the year of the DIY reno. It also became the year that Americans migrated from cities and built their own homes. And as a consequence, the lumber industry in the US skyrocketed.

Published on 13/05/2021

A recent survey by Bankrate has shown that over half of American’s think that the stock market is rigged against individual investors.

Published on 06/05/2021

Most of us don’t give a second thought to sand. Sandy beaches, desert dunes, something to be sat on, to be played with, to be raked, to be driven (or ridden) up and down on, it gets in our shoes and our sandwiches, it gets whipped in our faces on blustery days. But it is in fact the world’s most consumed raw material after water and an essential ingredient to our everyday lives. And as of 2019, we are facing a shortage.

Published on 29/04/2021

It’s an age long, divisive and passionate debate which splits the investing community: active or passive. There are arguments for both sides with Bernstein analysts calling passive investing “worse than Marxism” and Warren Buffett claiming “active investing as a whole is certain to lead to worse-than-average results”. Well, who to believe?

Published on 15/04/2021

Global interest in craft beer has risen exponentially over the last decade, and despite the continuous talk of industry bubbles and the limitations of global lockdowns, it's an interest that has continued to thrive. It is a growing investment opportunity in the consumer staples sector but also one on the fringes of the equities market.

Published on 08/04/2021

All that glitters is not gold. As it is for precious stones, so it can be for stocks too.

Published on 01/04/2021

As the world is focussing more on the environmental impacts of their actions, we’re seeing a change in the food and beverage companies that are emerging: from unlikely partnerships, to edible insects. But how sustainable are these companies both on the market and environmentally, and what is this doing to stock prices across the globe?

Published on 25/03/2021

In mid-February, car maker Jaguar confirmed that they will only be building all-electric cars by 2025. This is big news for conservationists and environmentalists, (some) car enthusiasts, battery makers and of course investment analysts.

Published on 11/03/2021

Across the world, gender inequalities are still sadly ubiquitous, from pay and promotions to childcare, household chores, and even in investing. The Gender Investing Gap is a very real gap, showing the discrepancy between the return the average woman gets on her investments in her lifetime, versus that of the average man. But why would this be so?

Published on 09/03/2021

The tech industry is booming globally. Tech permeates every corner of our lives and has been the saviour of the pandemic: keeping companies running, families connected, and people entertained whilst being stuck indoors for months at a time. With this in mind, why do women only make up 16.4% of tech professionals?

Published on 04/03/2021

The world of investing can generate many emotions - from the highs of watching your returns skyrocket, to the lows of miscalculating something and watching them depreciate or plummet. What a rollercoaster.

Published on 25/02/2021

In 2009, within five days of a YouTube song called “United Breaks Guitars” being released, United Airlines lost 10% of its market value, costing shareholders roughly $180 million dollars. Sometimes, the power of one person, with a little boost from social media can make or break a company.

Published on 18/02/2021

Patience is key when it comes to investing. Studies have shown that some stocks can make investors millionaires if they have had the patience to ignore the day-to-day fluctuations of the market and own stocks for decades.

Published on 11/02/2021

How many times have you scrolled through your news app, or your social feed and seen something about Bitcoin? Countless right? Bitcoin used to be inextricably linked with The Silk Road and the dark web, but it’s shaken that image of the underground and is now standing proudly in the sun. But with Bitcoin’s parabolic rise, a discussion on the art of the exit is in order - sometimes a material weakness in the majority of investors' arsenal.

Published on 04/02/2021

In an age where it’s a necessity to get groceries, clothing and everything in between, delivered contactlessly directly to our doors, it can have a negative impact on the climate. There are more deliveries on the road, more plastic and cardboard packaging, our goods are travelling further than many of us have been in almost a year. So, what are companies doing to reduce their impact on the climate, and is this affecting the stock market?

Published on 29/01/2021

It can be very easy to get caught up in a new fad, fashion, or gadget only to see something equally new and shiny to replace it. It happens a lot with tech - your new smartphone, or smartwatch gets a reboot, and you’re left sad and out of date, whilst everyone else is talking about the fun new features they have on their swanky new devices.

Published on 21/01/2021

Sometimes, events thousands of miles away don’t have the same impact as things on our doorstep. You can’t relate to them, or even begin to understand the devastation they could cause. And because it’s so far away, how could it affect you? But it’s events thousands of miles away that actually change what you wear, what you eat or drink, what you can buy in shops. Take the devastating wildfires in Australia and California for example.

Published on 07/01/2021

Sometimes life can’t help but put you between a rock and a hard place. There's a trade-off and you just don’t know what to do. In the latest in our series on ESG investing, we’ll be looking at when wrong feels right.

Published on 17/12/2020

The world-famous Knowledge of London - the process of becoming a black cab driver - is one of the toughest tests you can take.

Published on 10/12/2020

Greenwashing isn’t when you use green soap, or when you water the garden grass on a hot summer's evening. Greenwashing is actually much more serious, and it’s the topic of this article, the next in our ESG series.

Published on 03/12/2020

When you were young, your grandmother will likely have told you to eat all your vegetables so you can grow up big and strong. But what does eating all our vegetables have to do with investing you may ask? Well, your grandmothers’ hopes for you being big and strong aren’t too far off from Growth Investing. She was just investing in your growth, and not that of a company on the stock market.

Published on 26/11/2020

The nice thing about learning something new is that you can research it. You can find the definitive parameters and definitions and read them a bunch of times before sitting back and saying, “yeah, ok. I get it”. Well… continuing our ESG series, we find out that this is not necessarily true of ESG investing.

Published on 19/11/2020

From early days sat in front of the TV watching Trading Places at Christmas, we’ve grown up with the age old adage “buy-low, sell-high”. And that might work for some, but for others, Trading Places is too 80s. “It’s 2020!” they cry, “it’s time for Momentum Investing!”

Published on 12/11/2020

In a recent article, we broke down what ESG investing is. It got you excited right? Well us too. But it raised some interesting questions, most notably, why since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, interest in ethical investing has increased. So we thought we’d delve a little deeper.

Published on 05/11/2020

We all love value. A bargain is a bargain at the end of the day. So what’s value investing? Well, it’s a strategy involving picking stocks that appear to trade at a lower value than their intrinsic value.

Published on 29/10/2020

Investing is open to everyone, with all sorts of opinions. Some investors don’t see the harm in buying stock from any type of company, but others may wish to invest in companies that fit their specific values. Some investors, for example, may not wish to profit from companies that damage the planet, or companies that harm their customers or workers.

Published on 22/10/2020

For many of us, the generic term ‘finance’ conjures up images of hard and sharp graphs, complicated numbers and language or landscapes that we “normal people” just don’t get, or even care about.

Published on 15/10/2020

At Upside, we are always going on about the importance of research when investing in single stocks... or analysing anything really.

Published on 01/10/2020

When was the last time you felt left out? Sidelined in a conversation because you weren't really sure what everyone was talking about? The playground when you were a kid? In the pub when your pal who loves craft beer was talking about DDH IPAs? When your kids were explaining how servers work in Minecraft? In the office when the technical lead was talking about… wait, what was it? Read more...

Published on 24/09/2020

Research, research, research. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about. Any investor worth their salt will tell you the same.

Published on 17/09/2020

One of the obstacles many people face when they start learning about investing is how to manage risk. Risk is a word with often negative connotations. It makes you think of the Bermuda Triangle, or quicksand - which, let’s face it, we all thought we’d face more as an adult.

Published on 10/09/2020

We all interact with listed companies each day, from checking our phone in the morning, buying a coffee on the way to work, buying a new piece of clothing, logging into our computers, watching movies, or even that beer in the pub at the end of the day.

Published on 13/08/2020

When children are learning to ride a bike, we give them stabilisers; training wheels to avoid the inevitable, which still happens anyway.

Published on 11/06/2020

“You’ll understand when you’re older” is one of those sayings that parents tell their children when they don’t have time or aren’t ready to explain something.