Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: A Lot Going On
There’s a veritable sea of moving parts out there in the global economy, which are keeping investors on edge. The big question is, how will they influence central bankers?
5 mins
Review of the week: Same World, Different Views
The US House of Representatives is struggling to agree on a new Speaker as the US ticks toward a shutdown of government. Strangely, stocks seem more perturbed by strong economic growth.
7 mins
Review of the week: A Cloudy Outlook
Big banks are reporting strong profits so far this quarter, but how will the rest of the market fare? And is higher-than-usual inflation making people glum?
6 mins
Review of the week: The Israeli-Hamas Conflict
This week has seen harrowing atrocities committed by the terrorist group Hamas against Israeli civilians. With so far more than 1,200 people reported to have been killed, this is the most serious cross-border attack Israel has faced in decades.
4 mins
Review of the week: Uncertainty spreads
Central bankers in the US and UK decided interest rates shouldn’t go higher in September; bond investors disagreed.
6 mins
Review of the week: Will interest rates plateau after peaking?
Will the big central banks making significant interest rate announcements this week follow the ECB’s lead and signal that rates have now peaked? And where might rates settle longer term?
6 mins
Review of the week: The good oil
Like virtually everything else, the cost of energy is much higher than it used to be. Combined with higher interest rates, it should keep squeezing economic growth in the coming months.
8 mins
Review of the week: Not the August planned
Hopes for a quiet summer were dashed by difficult-to-read economic data, swinging bond yields and holiday dramas.
5 mins
Review of the week: Soft landing?
Rather than a slow fade, the American economy produced a surprise surge. Yet with inflation within touching distance of the 2% target, US interest rates may still peak soon.
10 mins
Review of the week: Higher or Lower
Interest rate hikes for the US and Europe are almost certain this week. All major central banks are getting close to calling time on rate increases, but the UK is likely to be the last to do so.
9 mins
Review of the week: Running hot and cold
Inflation is falling nicely in the US, will British CPI follow suit this week? Meanwhile, China battles deflation as its economy stutters.
7 mins
Review of the week: Interesting times for bonds
Normally staid bond markets seem highly strung lately, but there are reasons to hope for some loosening up
5 mins
Zoltar Speaks
Strolling round the south coast on a half-term excursion, head of fixed income Bryn Jones’ kids stumble on a bit of advice for politicians wrangling over Brexit.
2 mins
In context
Investors seem to be flitting between fear and optimism in an increasingly erratic manner. Hopes for a soft-touch Federal Reserve seem to be driving most of the optimism, notes chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth.
4 mins
Heart of cold
This Valentine’s Day our star-crossed multi-asset funds assistant manager, Will McIntosh-Whyte, re-examines a stock that threatens to 'be the one'.
3 mins
Year of the pig – the capitalist pig
In this new Year of the Pig, head of multi asset investments David Coombs celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit spreading across China and concludes that, despite communist roots, it may actually be doing capitalism better than the capitalists.
2 mins
Wrestling with hedges
After weeks of touring both the UK and the Continent to set out his team’s thinking for the year ahead, David Coombs has ended his journeys with a bang. Find out why our head of multi-asset investments was weirdly comforted to find himself in a hedge a few hundred metres from the M4.
3 mins
Ditch the models, on the road
In the first of his dispatches from the regions, our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, explains why he looks forward to the banter with IFAs. He also shares some of the pain that goes into getting out to see them.
3 mins
Losing control
Markets took a dive in December, but we think panicked investors may have got ahead of themselves. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth explains why things are relatively ok for global growth, but perhaps not so much for the UK.
4 mins
Don’t let 10% letters blow you off course
It was a brutal year filled with ups and a whole lot of downs. Multi-asset portfolio funds manager David Coombs explains how the team is facing 2019.
3 mins
2019: the year ahead. Maybe?
Our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, gazes into his crystal ball as he prepares for 2019.
1 min
Sterling – where do we go from here?
From the Caribbean to Costa, multi-asset investments head David Coombs arrived back from holiday in time for another lurch downward for the pound. He explains why currency moves will be crucial to returns in January.
3 mins
Five things to consider on Boxing Day
As you tuck into some left-over turkey on Boxing Day, desperate to keep the conversation from drifting to Brexit, here’s our suggestion for five things to consider that we hope will help you and your loved ones have many prosperous new years to come.
5 mins
How to survive in the ‘brand’ new world
We’ve seen in our first two blogs in our series on brands how millennials are driving big changes in the consumer landscape, and some of the challenges posed to global branded goods – challenges faced by smaller and more personalised businesses like advisers too. In this final instalment, we explore how established businesses can thrive in this ‘brand new world’.
4 mins