Economic and market insight
Review of the week: Reaching for the heavens
Review of the week: Celebrations, American style
US markets make new records just in time for Independence Day. While Americans take a day off, it seems a good time to take a look at a tough corner of the UK labour market.
Review of the week: Midsummer mojo?
Stock markets have regained their positive momentum, but don’t expect a balmy and tranquil summer ahead.
Review of the week: Federal foresight
The US central bank’s nod to the surging American recovery frightened markets last week. These wobbly moments could become a longer-term fixture of the global recovery.
Review of the week: Laborious statistics
Jobs are the key to true recovery and the best clue to the path of longer-term inflation. Meanwhile, the great vaccination rolls on.
Review of the week: A changing tune
After an austere run for many years, the mood music for global companies seems to have stepped up a beat. Businesses are splashing the cash and investing for a new future.
Review of the week: Making a change
Breaking the inertia of old habits can be revitalising. Brits are up for a change and that could spark a regional economic revival.
Review of the week: Stuck in inflation fixation?
Inflation concerns aren’t receding despite policymakers’ best efforts. Expect more inflation scares to trigger further stock and bond market volatility.
Review of the week: One-track mind
Inflation is all investors can think about right now, causing stock markets to wobble a bit. More focus should be on the steady march to recovery. There’s fun to be had.
Review of the week: Power of positivity
Be the change you want to see in the market. When it comes to economics, sentiment is a heavy influence. That bodes well for the rest of the year.
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Recent inflation headlines have made for uncomfortable reading, and volatility picked up as investors remained sceptical of policymakers’ messaging. But we don’t think rising inflation is here to stay as there are too many other phenomena that will push it down.
America is opening up along with the spring blossoms, and a strong summer of spending seems to be on the way. The rebound in fortunes has helped the S&P 500 reach new highs which, as chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth notes, go hand in hand with rising yields.
Bond yields and a new season’s flowers both sprung up last month, heralding an end to the dark days of lockdown winter. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth ponders the big question on investors’ minds – does this also foreshadow a prolonged period of higher inflation?
After a busy start to the year there’s still a lot of uncertainty swirling around in markets. But economies tend to bounce back hard after sombre periods, and hope remains that our eventual return to ‘normal’ will be no different.
A roller-coaster of a year finished on a high note for the markets, and we start 2021 with a sense of relief that one of the most difficult years many of us have ever experienced is behind us.
With a clutch of vaccines on the way soon, equity markets were in a buoyant mood in November. But there are still a lot of things we don’t know – and even some things we don’t know that we don’t know…
Equities fell in October as investors came to terms with tighter lockdown restrictions, but hopes for a new round of US stimulus under President-elect Joe Biden have buoyed markets, and Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth reckons we should take heart.
With summer fading into memory, a long uncertain winter of social distancing lies ahead. It’s easy to feel gloomy, but as chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth argues, we should try not to buy into the doom.
As summer winds down and the pandemic persists, governments are finding it hard to taper their support measures.
The hard data is coming in and so far companies have fared better through the pandemic than expected. Just how long complete recovery will take no one knows, but as chief economist Julian Chillingworth notes, we maintain our long-held belief in the human capacity to co-operate and solve problems.
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If in doubt, say nowt
Our film buff head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, still hasn’t given up the dream of making it in show biz. Phase one: a brand new podcast for you to enjoy.
Supermarket sweep
Braving the commute for the first time in almost 18 months, David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments, makes his radio cross-over debut.
The snowball effect
Fund manager David Harrison explains how the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which began life as an aspirational target for governments around the world, transitioned to an unofficial framework for ESG investing. But can they really make a difference?
A changing tide
The looming Olympics must be on the mind of our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs, as he discusses the outlook for the UK.
Welcome to the big leagues
Just a few short years ago, only those in the know were talking about sustainable investing. Today it seems to be everywhere. All that’s missing is a global standard for measuring a company’s ESG performance, says David Harrison, manager of the Rathbone Greenbank Global Sustainability Fund.
No-frills financial services
Freshly double-jabbed, head of multi-asset investments David Coombs ventures out in search of rock loaf. He finds finance is changing quickly, which is important for how the industry makes its own bread.
Quality over quantity
Sustainable investing may be known for its values and principles, but there are other advantages for investors. David Harrison explains how companies that embrace ESG are more likely to be more resilient over the long term.
Yes, fund manager
Once the pandemic is in the rear view, the UK has the chance to remake itself, argues our Minister for Administrative Affairs, David Coombs. Or is he our head of multi-asset investments…
The Biden effect
After four years of ambivalence towards the environment under Donald Trump, the Oval Office has a new occupant and a new agenda. David Harrison, manager of the Rathbone Global Sustainability Fund, says it will likely be all systems go under the new president.