News and events
Easy does it
Economic statistics fell off a cliff in May, but as chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth notes, investors were already anticipating a big bounce as economies began to reopen.
3 mins
This too shall pass
Amid an alphabet soup of economic forecasts, chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth looks for the ingredients of a lasting recovery.
3 mins
March madness
Markets are jig-jagging like a frightened hare as wholesale lockdowns and extraordinary stimulus have streaked across the globe. Our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth reports on the month.
6 mins
Expect the unexpected
As Covid-19 rattles markets and investors scramble for safety,. our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth considers the longer-term implications for the global economy and also looks at the narrowing Democratic primary race to take on Donald Trump.
4 mins
The journey begins
After many debates, votes and faff, the UK is just about ready to start leaving the EU. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth takes a look at the year ahead and the one just gone.
4 mins
Snakes and Ladders
Another deadline, another delay to Brexit – and now another election on top. Meanwhile, the tennis match between China and the US over trade continues, notes our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth.
5 mins
Blinkers are for horses
Investors are galloping from one extreme to the other in all sorts of markets. But nothing is black and white, warns chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth, so investors should try to focus on the longer term effects and ignore short-term craziness.
5 mins
A last gasp
At his penultimate meeting, outgoing President of the European Central Bank (ECB) Mario Draghi announced a series of measures to ease monetary policy in the listless region. The bank cut deposit rates by 10 basis points to -0.50% and will restart quantitative easing (QE) on 1 November. At just €20 billion (£17.7bn) per month it’s peanuts compared to historic QE – since 2015 the ECB’s bond purchases have totalled €2.65 trillion – but crucially the new programme has no set end date. Until inflation gets back to 2% and stays there, QE and zero rates are here to stay.
4 mins
The weight of a pound
A ghoulish Brexit is weighing on sterling and Donald Trump trade war with China is weighing on the Federal Reserve. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth looks at the effects of both.
7 mins
It doesn’t add up
Stocks soared to new highs in June, but more pessimistic bond markets tolled a more ominous note amid weaker growth, falling earnings, trade tussles and other troubles. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth considers the mixed messages coming from stocks and bonds.
4 mins
New EU inmates take over the asylum
The world seemed to unravel further last month, with British voters electing members to the EU Parliament whose goal is to leave it, and Donald Trump continuing to wield his trade cudgel. Our chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth considers the implications.
5 mins
Mixed signals
Equity markets are in a happy mood, climbing through a fog of uncertainty with omens of recession tolling from the bond market. Julian Chillingworth, Rathbones chief investment officer, explains why we think it still makes sense to stay invested, but with vigilance.
3 mins
Scotsman Annual Investment Conference 2021 David Coombs
Scotsman Annual Investment Conference 2021 David Coombs
1 min
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
Still pursuing green
Fake meat is just a headline-grabbing focal point for real ethical changes in the US. In the first of three chapters, Rathbone Global Sustainability Fund manager David Harrison explains why responsible capitalism is ascendant in America.
1 min
Staying safe in a crowded harbour
Bond markets should be an investor’s safe haven, but in today’s world things aren’t as simple as they used to be. Rathbone High Quality Bond Fund manager Noelle Cazalis explains how she tries to play it safe.
3 mins
Be clear, be trustworthy
Brits are on board with investing sustainably to make the world a better place, but impenetrable jargon and complicated processes are preventing them from doing so. We need to try harder to speak their language, says Rathbone Global Sustainability Fund manager David Harrison.
3 mins
Are all fixed income assets created equal?
Fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte shares the (pretty open) secrets that underpin how the Rathbone Multi-Asset Portfolio Funds are put together, and discusses why not all fixed income assets are created equal.
5 mins
Digging in for income
If you’re an income investor, don’t despair! Our fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte tells Citywire that a decent – and growing – income is possible, if you are careful and realistic about your goals.
3 mins
In pursuit of green
Sustainable investing isn’t just about avoiding the risks of outdated businesses or environmental PR disasters, explains our Global Sustainability Fund manager, David Harrison. It’s also about spotting opportunities that can be captured if you keep your eyes on the future instead of the past.
3 mins
10 years ago, I dreamed a dream
They used to call David Coombs crazy. When he set up our multi-asset funds 10 years ago, many people didn’t get why we were setting targets for return and risk that investors could hold us to.
3 mins
Foxes and hedgehogs
They strive each day (and most nights) to completely understand their discipline, so why does their labour only make expert forecasters more inaccurate? Rathbones Income Fund manager Carl Stick looks at why specialists fail at the future.
3 mins
Cutting cost is good, investment is better
Ten years ago this month, the American stock market, stricken by the global financial crisis, bottomed out and started one of the longest upward market trends in history. Now, a decade on, Rathbone Income fund manager Carl Stick thinks it’s appropriate to talk about change.
3 mins
Communication breakdown
The US central bank changed tack so fast in 2019 that you could hear the thunderclap. Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund manager James Thomson warns that investors shouldn’t follow suit.
4 mins