Is now a good time to invest, and what should I buy?

If you look at the growth in global markets over the last five years — the MSCI World Index

is a good reference point — you'll see that we've actually had pretty good growth, and the start of 2026 doesn't look so dramatic in that longer timeframe. Things are so volatile right now that I can't predict the next six months. So the only viable thing to say is: set up a direct debit, drip feed in over the next 12 months for example, average out your buying price, and buy a collection of global shares — assuming you have enough of a cash buffer set aside if things head south. In the absence of any personal conviction about a specific theme or sector, you could consider a direct debit into a simple global ETF (exchange traded fund).