Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: No rain, no rain
Economic data has been confusing for a while. Thankfully, there’s a central bank hiatus just big enough to slip Wimbledon into.
5 mins
Review of the week: An independent scapegoat?
The Bank of England is throwing the kitchen sink at runaway inflation. Will it be enough, and are there some things that are outside its control?
8 mins
Review of the week: Take the long view on rates
UK inflation may shock gilt markets this week. But if so it’s likely to be a passing phase as price rises continue to cool over the summer.
4 mins
Review of the week: Skip, hop and jump?
All eyes are on the direction of central bank monetary policy. After expecting a policy pivot, investors now think the most likely outcome is a skip in tightening followed by a hop to pause mode before a jump to interest rate cuts.
5 mins
Review of the week: The great retirement
The UK labour market is in a huge state of flux. The population is ageing fast, people are retiring earlier and changes to immigration are leading to a lack of ‘unskilled’ workers.
7 mins
Review of the week: Monetary mea culpa
UK inflation simply won’t drop as fast as everyone hopes, leading the Bank of England to admit it needs a new model. Meanwhile, a compromise is proposed to kick the can on the US debt ceiling till after the next election.
6 mins
Review of the week: The money eraser
Inflation can often seem an abstract concept. Not lately, though: everyone is keenly aware of soaring prices. Is inflation finally starting to drop?
8 mins
Review of the week: Expectations vs reality
There’s a disconnect between how everyone feels and how stock markets are moving. Meanwhile, the US debt ceiling looms ever larger.
8 mins
Review of the week: A very British coronation
A King is crowned and most of England went to the polls last week. Coming up is a Bank of England rate hike and an update for American inflation.
7 mins
Review of the week: Banking eagle, hawked
A regional bank caught up in the March banking crisis has been forcibly sold by an American regulator. Hopefully this marks the end of the chapter.
9 mins
Review of the week: Markets on edge as earnings season picks up pace
Investors are fearful of an earnings recession as reporting season steams ahead. Meanwhile, China’s first-quarter GDP estimate suggests its recovery is proving uneven.
7 mins
Review of the week: The cost of drama
Markets are riven over weighty questions about the economic strength of our households and businesses clashing with higher living costs, and all the while lurks the menace of unknown consequences created by a rapidly changed world.
8 mins
Good COP, bad COP?
The eyes of the world will be watching the COP26 global climate summit next week. Our stewardship director Matt Crossman asks: what will make it a good COP? And how will we know if it’s a bad one?
2 mins
Demanding supply chains
Reopening economies have strained global networks of distribution and upended labour markets. Silver linings though: it’s saved our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs £85.
3 mins
Green eating
Environmental impacts, health awareness and growing intolerances are rapidly changing people’s appetites. Our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, has been gluten-free since before the kids started doing it, so he believes he has some wisdom to share.
5 mins
Fuelish
The petrol crunch has caught out Will McIntosh-Whyte, our multi-asset portfolios fund manager, much to the glee of his electric car owning stepfather.
4 mins
That old-time service
Hours-long queues for petrol focuses the mind on the importance of businesses that have been dismissed as ‘old-economy’. Rathbone Income Fund co-manager Carl Stick explains why he’s been adding to a few of them this year.
5 mins
Stretching subscriptions
Subscription-driven cash flows have been the gold standard for many industries for decades now. Senior multi-asset investment specialist Craig Brown takes pause at coffee-as-a-service.
4 mins
Spicy stocks and birthday treats
Punchy valuations for high-growth stocks are at risk of getting upended by any rise in bond yields. Our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, explains why he’s building up his cash.
4 mins
China’s challenging consumer
Only comedians can insult their customers, notes head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. If change needs to come, stewards usually get better results.
5 mins
Lego, bricks & mortar
Kids’ building blocks and workplaces both offer a chance to learn. Senior multi-asset investment specialist Craig Brown makes a case for the office while tripping over his son’s toys.
4 mins
Is China going local?
In case anyone forgot that China was supposed to be communist, the world’s largest market dropped a hammer on its technology and education sectors. David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments, reviews his Chinese exposure.
5 mins
Minority sports?
Head of fixed income Bryn Jones explains why the Olympics gives him a taste for minority sports and what it takes to win a wider fan base.
3 mins
Without good governance, ‘ESG’ falls apart
Responsible investing and capitalism itself are doomed to fail without good corporate governance, argues stewardship director Matt Crossman. It’s the artful science of ensuring company managers are in step with other stakeholders’ interests.
3 mins