The first thing to say about the Autumn Statement is that it was given against a background of huge anger among the liberal economic elite for our decision to leave the EU.

How dare we, the British public, make a decision that did not concur with the establishment, was the line they took.

Don’t believe me?

The Office of Budget Responsibility invented by George Osborne, is headed by one Robert Chote. The forecasts by this body underpinned the whole thinking of the Autumn Statement.

However, as quoted in the papers the next day Mr Chote conceded that the OBR’s 'crack' at the hit to the public finances following the decision to leave the EU was uncertain, admitting that there was a 50 per cent chance that UK growth could be stronger than the OBR's central forecast.

The answer… put not your faith in economists.

Now to minor matters.

Petrol duty is frozen, yet again. That doesn’t mean that it won’t go up, or down. The price of petrol at the pumps is mostly affected by the price of crude oil, which goes up and down like a yo-yo.

Insurance Premium tax will go up again, next June, by which time it will have risen from 2.5 per cent in December 1994 to 12 per cent next year. This will apply to buildings and contents, car, pet and medical policies, but not life assurance.

Pensioners will keep their 'triple lock' guarantee, but only until 2020

The income tax free allowance will rise, in stages, to just over £15,000 by 2030. It will rise from the present level of £11,000 to £11,500 next April.

The arguments over inflation, currently just 0.9 per cent per annum, run on and on. There will be more inflation next year but nobody knows, certainly not Mr Chote.

This means that the money in your bank or building society account is going to continue rewarding you with next to nothing.

There is one area where, for a reasonable amount of risk, you can gain a not unreasonable return.

The average return of United Kingdom shares is currently 4.2 per cent. That is without any capital gain.

I am reasonably confident that the new USA administration will be good for stock markets. I am happy to own a few shares in Verizon Radio and Wells Fargo (yes that good old name), this is not a recommendation however. You will need advice before venturing into foreign markets.

To sum up - there was not a great deal in the Autumn Statement as there was not much he could do. Because of the Brexit negotiations and the 'interregnum' between Obama and Trump, things are necessarily uncertain in world markets. Despite this, stock markets around the world are holding up well.

Don’t forget, by the way, this was the last Autumn Statement - there’ll be something different next year. Happy Christmas!

If you would like a more detailed analysis of the Autumn Statement, email Kymin on info@kymin.co.uk for your copy of our guide.