Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: One-track mind
Inflation is all investors can think about right now, causing stock markets to wobble a bit. More focus should be on the steady march to recovery. There’s fun to be had.
5 mins
Review of the week: Power of positivity
Be the change you want to see in the market. When it comes to economics, sentiment is a heavy influence. That bodes well for the rest of the year.
6 mins
Review of the week: Getting there
An economic upswing is in force in the US and UK, even Europe is getting its act together. A full-blown boom may be on the cards for the rest of 2021, but that doesn’t necessarily mean smooth sailing for stock markets.
5 mins
Review of the week: Earning favour
Company profits are bouncing back fast in 2021, but we are not out of the COVID cavern yet. If the virus remains unchecked in South America and Asia, it may weigh on global growth.
7 mins
Review of the week: Fun, in a coat
The air is cold but the company is warm. England wraps up for the reopening of pubs and restaurants.
4 mins
Review of the week: A chill wind blows
A week of Fed watching cooled the recent rise in US Treasury yields, sending the dollar and sterling lower. Then British flags followed suit.
6 mins
Review of the week: Resurrection
The US economy is rocketing towards recovery, with jobs, confidence and output soaring amid a strong vaccination drive and stimulus. Next on the list, investment in clean energy.
6 mins
Review of the week: The delicate web of trade
The strands of trade connecting markets are as important to our living standards as they are fragile. A stranded ship in the Suez highlights both points at once.
5 mins
Review of the week: Calm in the eye of the storm
As the fight against COVID-19 continues, economies are beginning to reopen. Are we about to experience a typhoon of activity to mirror the huge slumps of 2020?
6 mins
Review of the week: Cheques and balances
The average American family has received $11,400 of government cheques since the pandemic began. That’s a big windfall for people and a difficult economic puzzle for the US Federal Reserve to decipher.
7 mins
Review of the week: America rising
The US is about to turn on the spending taps once again to combat the effects of the pandemic. This time it coincides with the reopening, so expectations for GDP growth are soaring – taking yields with them.
6 mins
Review of the week: Bond vigilantes
When bond markets move, governments and stock markets take note. A swift rise in yields has rattled equities and focused attention on countries’ swollen debt piles.
7 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
If in doubt, say nowt
Our film buff head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, still hasn’t given up the dream of making it in show biz. Phase one: a brand new podcast for you to enjoy.
3 mins