The night sky in South West Ireland is something to behold. Free from light and atmospheric pollution, the Milky Way shines bright and clear across the heavens. Looked at through a modest telescope, a myriad of tiny dots of light is revealed from the millions of stars and galaxies out there in the Universe.  To the naked eye the well-known constellations are there for all to see as well as the planets.  On a dark night, Venus even sheds its own pale reflection across a calm sea. On our final evening, a full moon rose from behind a headland stretching out into the Atlantic, at first pink but then turning to bright silver as it shed its long bright reflection across the sea to the viewer.

This is a far cry from the helter skelter activity of everyday life. There’s a big beautiful world out there and a reminder to me that we are all small cogs in a huge universe. The petty concerns of the day to day can be seen for what they are and placed in a proper context. Having left for my holidays in a flurry of activity dealing with little things that I needed to get out of the way before I left; on my return, I am better equipped to think about the big picture and focus on a broader agenda. In no small part that is down to gazing at the stars and clearing the mind.

So what about that big picture? What are the prospects for us all as we start a new period in our business and personal lives. The economy is doing ok despite all predictions of a downturn due to Brexit. However, far from being a star performer in the economic stakes, we now lag behind the EU and many of our international competitors in terms of growth. That is hardly surprising as entrepreneurs and global businesses eye the potential problems caused by a disorderly exit from the EU.  Investment decisions have clearly been postponed and some have decided to engage contingency plans to relocate headquarters in other parts of Europe. The future of the UK and to some extent Europe hang in a very uncertain balance. 

There are signs of problems in some of the world’s weaker economies. Argentina has raised interest rates to 60% and has asked for a substantial IMF loan to prop up their ailing finances.  We all know about the problems caused by financial mismanagement in Venezuela where millions of people are fleeing to other countries in South America. Although the US economy is thriving it is hard to tell whether this is merely a temporary result of a "Trump tax" giveaway.  The growing signs of a trade war are unsettling international markets.  Rising interest rates may mean that funds currently in the stock market which is regarded to be above true value, may start to flee to more secure environments.

I am far from being a financial "Jonah" but we ignore such signs at our peril. What we do know is that more straightened financial times will come to pass and the question is not if, but when. We have spent the past two years strengthening our business to ensure we have a secure basis for our legal business built on secure foundations.  We have an infrastructure set to weather any storm and a wide range of services which are affected in a variety of different ways in an economic downturn.

As for you and yours, I am sure like me you have a number of concerns about your family and friends. We all have to face up to the pressures of everyday life as we face one of the busier periods of the year as children go back to school, students to university and the business diaries get filled with new appointments.  One thing is clear, our legal practice always takes a long term view and we will be here to help in times of trouble and planning for the future. Our thinking will remain clear and to be sure, the stars in the sky will still be there to be gazed at next year.