Do you think the UK stock market will crash, due to Trump's tariffs?

[mothersdayhmm]

I have shares in Nat West. I lost a lot of money on them, but they are currently the highest they've been for 10 years.

Just wondering if I should cut my losses now and sell them? My plan was always to offload them at some point, as I don't like having too many eggs in one basket. The only reason I only invested in this one stock, was that it was an employee share save scheme. I no longer work there.

At their highest my holding was worth £50k. At lowest about £3k. Now worth about £13k. I know they will never get back to their highest value, and I would cut and run long before that anyway.

I'm not savvy about the stock market, so any thoughts would be welcome!

YABU - Don't sell
YANBU - Get rid of them now

I also have bank shares via a SAYE scheme. Stock markets crashed yesterday - I lost £10k on my portfolio overnight. I’m not selling mine, I don’t need the money, they pay good dividends and I’m happy to wait it out personally.

It depends when are you likely to need the money. Perhaps you could take out your original investment plus a bit, and leave the rest. Then it won't matter so much either way.

Our shares will be left until they are near what we paid for them. It maybe that the dc inherit them one day.

Panic selling like this is nearly always the wrong thing to do. If you don't need the money then sit tight. Things can always go down as well as up, but the markets recover eventually and a long term view is best.

If anything, while share prices are lower it can be the time to buy more if you are looking to expand your investments.

Trump is making markets jittery around the world. Don't lose more of your money because of an arse like him. Things will recover eventually.

My SIPP was worth £168k a month ago. It is now worth £151k. However, I won’t be selling anything. It will go back up.

If anything, while share prices are lower it can be the time to buy more if you are looking to expand your investments

DH works in wealth management and he's buying today. I am not, as I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about equities as he is, but it's a very valid point. The equities my pension fund buy this month should be good value in the long run though!

The stock market will suffer in the short term.

The UK has an opportunity with he lower tarriffs to have so much production move here for exports to the US. But that won’t happen. Because this country has no entrepreneurial spirit and is run by braindead politicians and civil servants. None of them have ever created wealth or done anything in business, they’ve all been milking the public sector gravy train so would to know where to start.

I'm just looking at my screens now (I still work in banking) and it looks like we're headed into another bloodbath today. Stoxx Europe 600 bank index is down 5.1% - the biggest two day drop since March 2020. Banks stocks are vulnerable to recession worries and also lower interest rates, so it's understandable. But probably not the day for a knee jerk reaction OP!

Topsey, there's a theory that the Orange one is deliberately crashing World markets so that he and his billionaire & millionaire chums can do just that. Buy at rock bottom, rake more in, sit on their investments and cash in on the misery and losses of millions of people.

He seems to have forgotten that he was sworn in and took the oath of office to abide by the US constitution. Preserve, protect and defend. That means the interests of all Americans, not just his super-wealthy cronies.

I was in ShareSave schemes when I was working (as well as other beneficial share purchase schemes).
By saving the max and selling at the right times (helped by transferring shares into my OH's name) I made some fantastic profits.

I also retired with a significant holding of shares which is not currently worth what I paid for them (and has not been for some time).
If I was to unload them then I would immediately make a significant loss but by keeping the shares, I am receiving the dividends which year on year have offset my loss and I am pretty certain I could now sell and be in profit (not doing it though).
I always intended using these shares for long-term income.

I think Trump is causing volatility in the global markets, but whether he is doing things that will put us on a long term, downward trend is hard to say. We need to see how are leadership responds.

Interesting, so the consensus is to hold. I was hoping it would be to sell, lol. I've had these shares for decades, and they are now £4.33 each. So nervous they'll drop to £1.11 again. For me to get back to what they were once worth, I think they'd need to be £17 each. Can't ever see that happening!!

It already has crashed, for now, but as others have said, selling now is not the right approach. Unless you need the money right now, hold onto it. Markets will recover from this short-term crash to some extent.

There are also massive problems with the UK stock market which predate the Trump madness: the UK stock market is in terminal decline and will probably never recover (thanks, Brexit and pension fund mismanagement). So longer term you probably should be looking to move your investment outside the UK. But I wouldn't do it today. I'd sit this one out and wait until things have stabilised.

Trump is creating stress, but also opportunities for the UK. A US which is capricious and grabby is definitely an opportunity for London and Switzerland.

It’s the US stock market that doesn’t look so good over the next ten years.

Buy low, sell high.
You’re too late, and should now wait till prices improve again.

I don't think it's too late. The shares haven't gone over £4 in the last 10 years. They went up to £4.80 for a day, have hovered in the mid £4's for a while and are now £4.20.

History says that the stock market always recovers and exceeds its previous level.

Remember covid, huge crash, media saying it would take a generation to recover...less than 3 years.

Sit tight, bank shares will never be what they were, too much regulation limits profit. We bought Lloyds shares when my wife worked for them, in 2007! Credit crunch smashed stock market prices, everyone except the banks recovered.

I've lost approx £100k in the last few days, I have the same number of shares so in 2 or 3 years time I'll be ahead of where I am now...I actually expect it will be just months.

Interesting about buying now too ( though I have little idea).

Is it a good time ( after the 5th) to invest in Stocks and Shares ISA’s rather than Cash ISA’s for this year?

Lloyds has maybe done better than Nat West? For the past 10 years the Nat West shares have been low (well below the £4.20 they are today), so they are still at a 10 year high just now. Hence me thinking of ditching them now.

Just remember you can lose your capital in a S&S ISA

My dh pension plan dropped 10k yesterday when he checked , it's a very scary time . I dread him looking today. He is literally 1 year away from retirement . So not much time for things to perk up .

You can but if diversely invested you can make far more. My ISA is up 138% since 2010. And other investments up hugely too despite 2008 and 2020 falls.

@Musicaltheatremum which funds are you in?

Can I ask which funds you hold please? I'm in the process of consolidating a few small pension pots into a sipp and am on the lookout for tips. I'll not be drawing from it for at least 10 years.

My company shares have taken a huge hit. I will probably take cash out of one account and put it into a stocks and shares ISA next week as I might as benefit from a low share price having taken a hit elsewhere.