Join Bryn Jones, Head of Fixed Income, for his latest webcast, on Tuesday 3 December at 10.00am, to celebrate his 20-Year anniversary at Rathbones Asset Management.

It’s that time of year again where the whole Sharpe End team get together for the Christmas Special and become David’s judge and jury on the predictions he made for 2023 at the end of last year. Did David’s crystal ball serve him well in calling what happens to the bond markets, commodity markets, equity markets, and a few more random areas too!? Last year David managed 5.5 points, an advance on the 4.5 points of the year previous. Will his march toward prediction perfection continue, or will it all come crashing down to reality with a bump?

Is US President Joe Biden’s huge infrastructure stimulus bending the US Treasury yield curve more than Beckham at the dead ball? Moderating inflation hasn’t stopped long-term US Treasury bond yields from whipping higher (and therefore prices falling sharply) in the past couple of months – could it be worries around government spending and the much larger amount of bonds being sold at auction? Meanwhile, earnings season has dominated stock markets recently, so the team discuss the winners and losers this time round and why. Lastly, they share why US landfill and recycling business Waste Management is more exciting than you may first think.

The team discuss the very different approaches to government investment in the US and UK and how this impacts the relative attractiveness of those economies. Next-generation weight loss drugs have grabbed the headlines of late, but unpicking the long-term impacts of these treatments on businesses is fraught with difficulty. Then, in the interests of balance, the team turn to alcohol and burgers as they discuss their recent switch from drinks giant Diageo to fast-food behemoth McDonalds.

With an array of UK retailers struggling and the housing market slump deepening, the team discuss managing exposure to the UK and why they are keeping an eye on the escalating government clampdown on Airbnb. Also, in recognition of National Inclusion Week, the team share how they think about diversity when investing and why Nike, one of the few consumer stocks they hold, is one company that has navigated this area successfully.

The team cast their minds back to the days before we knew what COVID was and when inflation was considered conquered to review an investment report they published in 2019 called Ditch the Models. Which of these models the team suggested ditching panned out the way they expected? And are there any others that could do with being ditched today? The swiftly growing animal health sector is the final topic as the team discuss how to avoid the dogs in the space and hopefully end up as the cats who got the cream.