Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: Spending the big bucks
The mean-average American family is worth $1 million after years of soaring growth, wealth and income. This matters for inflation, future interest rates and the strength of the dollar.
6 mins
Review of the week: Middle-Eastern tensions rise further
An Iranian missile attack on Israel was thwarted over the weekend. While markets are calm, risks of escalation linger.
6 mins
Review of the week: Is the door slamming on early rate cuts?
A blowout jobs report is tipping bets towards fewer US interest rate cuts this year. What happens if inflation continues to bounce higher this week?
4 mins
Review of the week: This rally is broadening...
A resilient economy is giving investors increased confidence to move beyond the Magnificent Seven and into corners of the market that have lagged. This broadening trend is very encouraging.
4 mins
Review of the week: Downward bound
After the flurry of central bank decisions last week, what did we learn about when (and how much) the big hitters plan to cut rates?
5 mins
Review of the week: Land of the rising prices
In a wave of central bank meetings this week, one of them is truly different. While all other developed world policymakers are pondering rate cuts, only Japan is considering rate hikes.
5 mins
Review of the week: Hazy data
Problems with UK labour surveys are making it hard to know the true rate of unemployment. Meanwhile, the Chancellor releases a tax-cutting Budget that leaves the next government with tough choices.
5 mins
Review of the week: Tax cuts or a conservative Budget?
The Chancellor hopes to narrow Labour’s yawning lead in opinion polls with a tax-cutting Budget. Giveaways may be stymied by a poor economy and higher costs of public services.
6 mins
Review of the week: Planning to fail
Obstructive planning laws are curtailing the supply of homes in the UK, the regulator says. Meanwhile, the quality of building is slipping, suggesting we’re wrapped up in the wrong red tape.
4 mins
Review of the week: Downcast, but out (spending)
The UK slumps into recession even as people’s spirits and retail sales rise. Meanwhile, trouble may be brewing in American inflation.
5 mins
Review of the week: American stocks pop
The US S&P 500 stock market index broke through 5,000 for the first time, hitting a record high last week as investors shrugged off worries that interest rates may not fall as fast as many had hoped.
6 mins
Review of the week: Don’t tread on me
US jobs strength pushes back interest rate cut forecasts yet further. Meanwhile, higher rates and changing business needs keeps squeezing commercial property.
8 mins
A long voyage in search of greener lands
After years of dragging its feet over green gilts, the UK government says it’s ready to take the plunge. Our Ethical Bond Fund manager Bryn Jones welcomes the talk, but awaits the action.
5 mins
The price of everything, the value of nothing in fund management
Sparring with travel providers over COVID kerfuffles brings home the importance of customer service for head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. For him, it’s worth paying for.
4 mins
Beware passively seeking yield
Helping clients find income has been a tough gig for many years now, yet pandemic-induced dividend cuts have made that task even harder. Business development executive Julianne Smith explains why chasing yield in ETFs could be painful.
3 mins
Running hot on climate change
The thermometers are popping all over the country, so our mad head of fixed income decides to do a marathon. Bryn Jones takes action on climate change and assesses the US.
3 mins
When a habit becomes a trend
His heart is in Santorini, his head is in rural Wiltshire and his cash is in the freezer. Head of multi-asset investments David Coombs grapples with lockdown realities and the changes they could bring to shopping.
4 mins
A big fat magic marker
Confusion reigns because of the sheer amount of information flying around us. Yet all that activity should bring us comfort as it's helping fight the pandemic and its economic effects, argues head of fixed income Bryn Jones.
3 mins
The case for UK equity income
The pandemic and the global lockdowns to combat its spread have raised havoc with UK dividends. Yet that very disruption could lead to better managed companies and more sustainable dividends, argues Income Fund manager Carl Stick.
4 mins
A central bank fairy tale
Lockdown was much different back in the 1970s – we didn’t even know we were in lockdown. Our head of fixed income Bryn Jones thinks we’ve come a long way over his lifetime.
5 mins
Testing times
A DIY COVID-19 antibody test takes a lot out of our multi-asset portfolios fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte. Cleaning up the mess, he’s reminded of why becoming an armchair expert is dangerous for investors.
4 mins
How technology can improve air quality
When people think about sustainable investing, they often focus on just the narrow topic of how a company itself operates in an environmentally friendly manner. But sustainability is about more than a business’s immediate environmental impact. David Harrison explores the pivotal role tech is playing during the pandemic.
4 mins
Curve goes down, curve goes up
A flattening COVID-19 infection curve is steepening bond yield curves. Head of fixed income Bryn Jones wrestles with the outlook for inflation and the chances of another flare-up of COVID-19.
3 mins
Safety first
The UK is facing a triple crisis: a pandemic, poor leadership and crippling risk aversion that’s spreading throughout everyday life. Multi-asset portfolio funds lead manager David Coombs argues that we are pushing risk into the future.
4 mins