Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: The tie that binds
The war in Ukraine has united typically quarrelsome European states against Russian aggression. Meanwhile, unity in President Vladimir Putin’s nation has been enforced through the strength of an authoritarian regime.
7 mins
Review of the week: Defiance
Russia’s invasion at first wrong-footed both Ukraine and the West, but the defenders’ resolve has been tougher than expected. Now, financial sanctions are hitting Russians hard.
8 mins
Review of the week: Back to the shops
UK retail sales bounced back after a COVID-crushed Christmas. Yet the longest income squeeze since Sir Robert Peel was Prime Minister is set to intensify in the coming months.
6 mins
Review of the week: War looms
Talks to ward off conflict over Ukraine are failing and a Russian invasion is reportedly imminent. Is it brinkmanship or a real risk?
5 mins
Review of the week: Bank on a tough year
The Bank of England seems poised to raise interest rates aggressively to combat inflation, yet its explanations don’t square with its own forecasts and analysis. Expect fewer hikes than the market currently implies.
7 mins
Review of the week: Tighter money
The years of loose money are coming to an end. That will cause some short-term upheaval in markets, but if economies remain strong stocks should soon bounce back.
7 mins
Review of the week: Getting ahead of the Fed
Bond yields have been climbing almost as much as investors’ worry levels. Pausing to remind ourselves what central bankers are trying to achieve – and how stocks typically react – is helpful.
6 mins
Review of the week: Just like the old days
With COVID cases starting to roll over – in the UK at least – and investors settling down for some old-fashioned Fed watching, everyone is hoping 2022 will be a bit more like pre-pandemic times.
6 mins
Review of the week: A strange and profitable year
Another COVID-blighted year has passed. Yet, for all the turmoil, 2021 was a great one for markets.
5 mins
Review of the week: Christmas at risk
Déjà vu in the UK. With COVID cases mounting once again and restrictions piling up, everyone is wondering whether Christmas will be cancelled once again.
5 mins
Review of the week: Still plenty of punch in the bowl
Market sentiment has been swinging wildly lately, but in this week’s review chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth explains why he thinks the supply of festive spirits won’t run dry.
7 mins
Review of the week: It’s all Greek now
A worrying new strain of COVID-19 has upended confidence in economic recovery, the path of interest rates and potentially the arrival of Father Christmas.
6 mins
Food 2.0
How innovative companies are finding sustainable ways to feed the world in challenging circumstances.
3 mins
Platforms are back, but not stagflation
In the midst of an unfolding humanitarian crisis, our thoughts are first and foremost with the people of Ukraine. But with an eye to our duty to our clients, we explain our views on the impact of the war and other big uncertainties investors are facing.
5 mins
Geopolitics and energy
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggering sanctions and potentially cutting off supplies of fossil fuels, the transition to clean energy just got more complicated.
4 mins
ESG: three confusing letters
The ESG acronym is everywhere now. But these three letters can spell a lot of confusion. Our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist Rahab Paracha explains why the recent war in Ukraine has prompted a new debate on what belongs in ESG funds.
4 mins
Are all the geeks American?
US tech firms have played a dominant role in driving stock market returns for several years. Co-chief investment officer Ed Smith asks: will future innovation continue to be concentrated in America? And where should investors look to for the next wave of tech innovation?
4 mins
Dialling it down
The war in Ukraine has impacted virtually all commodity prices. Households and businesses are already feeling the effects, notes David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments.
3 mins
Avoiding the hot air
Hydrogen power should be a powerful fuel of the future, which is leading to a lot of hype today. Our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist Rahab Paracha explains why investing through larger energy companies seems the best course for now.
5 mins
Is it time for a financial Plan B?
It’s been many years since inflation has given investors something to worry about. Rathbone Income Fund co-manager Carl Stick believes UK equity income sector may be an attractive antidote.
3 mins
Crypto Bowl 2022
Our multi-asset investment specialist Craig Brown is an old-school New Englander from the northern tip of Essex. His penchant for gridiron leads him into a blitz of crypto ads.
4 mins
Out of touch
UK policymakers are engineering a big squeeze on UK households this year, warns head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. Globally driven inflation should pass on its own, tightening policy risks making it worse.
3 mins
It’s the economy, Cupid!
Investor affections are proving fickle. But our multi-asset portfolios manager Will McIntosh-Whyte argues that in love and markets, it’s the things that last that really matter.
4 mins
Hydrogen – the fuel of our future?
Hydrogen is the simplest and most prevalent element in our universe. Yet turning it into clean energy is complicated indeed, notes our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist, Rahab Paracha.
5 mins