Knowledge and insight

Just like other life-transforming technologies of the past, today’s tech giants are reaching maturity — that inevitable transformation from fresh young face of innovation to overgrown, mistrusted hulk. Their share prices fell amid reports that US antitrust bodies would be taking a closer look at their competitive practices for possible violations. We don’t think a bust-up is imminent but further volatility is likely for the big US tech firms in the near term.

A broader swathe of economic indicators — of the recent past, present and future — have fallen to indisputably weaker levels than at any time since the 2008 global financial crisis. That means we have more reasons than at any time over the past decade to be worried about the outlook for the US and global economies over the next 12 months.

A small-time war at the southern tip of the Middle East has spilled over into one of the world’s most important oil producers. Our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth explains how it flared up and where the flames might be headed.

Put crudely, the job of an active investor is to buy low and sell high. Identifying companies and markets that are ‘cheap’ (attractive) and ‘expensive’ (to be avoided) is commonly done using PE ratios, the price divided by the underlying annual earnings for that company or market. But in all but a few specific situations, when it comes to choosing one investment over another, it’s often more hindrance than help, especially over shorter time periods.

When the pace of economic growth begins to slow and the outlook becomes more gloomy, it makes sense for investors to start shifting their equity investments away from cyclical sectors and towards defensive ones, even if you don’t think a recession is necessarily likely to ensue.

Rathbone Unit Trust Management introduces Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund to wider market

Fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte shares the (pretty open) secrets that underpin how the Rathbone Multi-Asset Portfolio Funds are put together, and discusses why not all fixed income assets are created equal.

If you’re an income investor, don’t despair! Our fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte tells Citywire that a decent – and growing – income is possible, if you are careful and realistic about your goals.

Action and adventure abounded in the summer holidays and it wasn’t all between the covers of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel. Our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth takes stock.