Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: Painting a picture
The wait for US interest rate cuts is over. Everyone expects the US Federal Reserve to move this week, the question is how far will it go?
1 min
Review of the week: The comfort blanket of lower interest rates
Stocks are down on underwhelming US economic numbers, but the central bank is likely to ride to the rescue.
1 min
Review of the week: Sudden market jolt gives way to tentative calm
Markets started wild as recession fears rose, yet became more orderly as last week progressed. Will the calm remain?
7 mins
Review of the week: A seismograph for US economic tremors
Stock markets around the world are being rocked as investors take fright about whether America is headed for recession in the coming months. Yet why is Japan the epicentre?
8 mins
Review of the week: Time to cut?
After months of waiting, there’s a strong chance that interest rates may fall in the UK this week. Across the Atlantic, the longed-for cuts won’t be till the autumn, if markets are correct.
6 mins
Review of the week: Biden bows out
After weeks of pressure, President Joe Biden has abandoned his bid for re-election. Will there be a battle for the Democratic nomination at next month’s party convention in Chicago, or will his successor be coronated quickly?
7 mins
Review of the week: Is the door opening to us rate cuts?
Political violence in the US is overshadowing last week’s big moves in the biggest US stocks, and widespread gains for smaller stocks too.
6 mins
Review of the week: Labour waltzes to victory
Sometimes polls are right and sometimes polls are wrong. Last week, we saw classic examples of both.
5 mins
Review of the week: The wave
The right-wing Rassemblement National was the big winner in the first round of French elections, but the most conclusive vote comes this weekend. Before then, the UK votes on its own Parliament.
7 mins
Review of the week: Political football
France goes to the polls for the first round of voting, the two candidates for the White House spar and the Euro knockout phase begins.
6 mins
Review of the week: Getting ahead of the Fed
The US Federal Reserve rows back on the potential for interest rate cuts even as inflation improves. Meanwhile, the French election also reverberates through bond markets.
7 mins
Review of the week: The year of the election heats up
The Year of the Election is already providing warning signs to expect the unexpected. Even when outcomes aren’t a huge surprise, painful (if temporary) pitfalls may lie ahead.
7 mins
Time to shape up
After months of selfie cuts and ad hoc trims, investment specialist Craig Brown’s hair is in chronic need of expert help. As businesses come out of the other side of lockdown, they’re likely to be in a similar situation.
3 mins
A long voyage in search of greener lands
After years of dragging its feet over green gilts, the UK government says it’s ready to take the plunge. Our Ethical Bond Fund manager Bryn Jones welcomes the talk, but awaits the action.
5 mins
The price of everything, the value of nothing in fund management
Sparring with travel providers over COVID kerfuffles brings home the importance of customer service for head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. For him, it’s worth paying for.
4 mins
Beware passively seeking yield
Helping clients find income has been a tough gig for many years now, yet pandemic-induced dividend cuts have made that task even harder. Business development executive Julianne Smith explains why chasing yield in ETFs could be painful.
3 mins
Running hot on climate change
The thermometers are popping all over the country, so our mad head of fixed income decides to do a marathon. Bryn Jones takes action on climate change and assesses the US.
3 mins
When a habit becomes a trend
His heart is in Santorini, his head is in rural Wiltshire and his cash is in the freezer. Head of multi-asset investments David Coombs grapples with lockdown realities and the changes they could bring to shopping.
4 mins
A big fat magic marker
Confusion reigns because of the sheer amount of information flying around us. Yet all that activity should bring us comfort as it's helping fight the pandemic and its economic effects, argues head of fixed income Bryn Jones.
3 mins
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
A central bank fairy tale
Lockdown was much different back in the 1970s – we didn’t even know we were in lockdown. Our head of fixed income Bryn Jones thinks we’ve come a long way over his lifetime.
5 mins
Testing times
A DIY COVID-19 antibody test takes a lot out of our multi-asset portfolios fund manager Will McIntosh-Whyte. Cleaning up the mess, he’s reminded of why becoming an armchair expert is dangerous for investors.
4 mins
How technology can improve air quality
When people think about sustainable investing, they often focus on just the narrow topic of how a company itself operates in an environmentally friendly manner. But sustainability is about more than a business’s immediate environmental impact. David Harrison explores the pivotal role tech is playing during the pandemic.
4 mins
Curve goes down, curve goes up
A flattening COVID-19 infection curve is steepening bond yield curves. Head of fixed income Bryn Jones wrestles with the outlook for inflation and the chances of another flare-up of COVID-19.
3 mins