The Markets So, what comes next? Last week was a good week for investors. Ben Levisohn of Barron’s explained: “The Federal Reserve and European Central Bank both pledged to do what they could to underpin their respective economies. The United Kingdom gave Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party a landslide victory, virtually guaranteeing that the Brexit saga will end, finally.” ‘Get Brexit done’ was the slogan of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conservative party and British voters confirmed that’s what they want. As a result, Parliament is likely to accept the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement. Under current deadlines, the United Kingdom will begin to transition out of the European Union (EU) at the end of January, reported The Economist. Prime Minister Johnson promised to complete the transition by December 2020 despite skepticism about whether trade agreements can be negotiated and ratified in such a short time. The Economist reported, “…unless Mr. Johnson is ready to ask for an extension, the risk of Britain leaving the EU with no trade deal in place at the end of next year will be significant. The result would be high barriers to exports and severe disruption to trade.” There was another important event last week. The United States government announced, “…a phase-one deal with China had been completed and that negotiation on phase two would begin immediately. Details were lacking, but it was surely good news,” reported Levisohn. The Wall Street Journal reported the deal has been agreed to in principle, although nothing has been signed, and neither the United States nor the Chinese government released the text of the agreement or a detailed summary. The information released indicates the United States canceled tariffs scheduled to take effect last Sunday and reduced current tariffs on $120 million of Chinese goods. In return, China agreed to increase the purchases of agricultural goods over the next two years. The agreement is scheduled to be signed in January. Let’s hope they ink the deal!

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This is the time of year when we put a lot of thought into the gifts we give our loved ones. Some people have a true gift for gift giving and they always seem to find just the perfect thing for each person. If you’re not an insightful gift giver, you might consider creating a highly personalized cookbook as a gift. It will take time, thought, and patience, but it’s likely the people who receive it will treasure it for a very long time. Crafting the cookbook can even be a soothing, therapeutic activity to help cope with the hectic holiday pace. Best of all, you can add to your recipe book each year. You could… Write recipes on cards, like your mother or grandmother did (there is something wonderful about seeing a handwritten recipe from a loved one who is no longer around) Document the recipes electronically so they can be printed, laminated, and kept in a notebook Deliver your gift on a portable drive so recipes can be pulled up on a kitchen computer or tablet No matter what form the gift takes, you’ll be providing a slice of your family’s history or the history of a friendship when you include stories, pictures and descriptions with each recipe. You could create a… Drinks recipe book for your friends Family recipe book for your children Tailgating recipe book for your sports-minded friends Baby food recipe book for a pregnant friend, daughter, or daughter-in-law The possibilities for your recipe book are endless. For additional inspiration, go online and google more ideas. If you’re not ready to start your cookbook just yet, you have plenty of time to plan one and craft it before next year’s holiday season. And if you’d like to discuss a great recipe for securing your financial future, just give us a call!

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