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
Rolling with the devil
Whether rolling cheese down a hill, braving the chaos of a Spanish fiesta or investing in the stock market, you should always take precautions, argues Will McIntosh-Whyte, assistant manager of our multi-asset funds.
3 mins
UK financials – back from the brink
Ten years on from the nationalisation of virtually the whole UK banking sector, it’s now a much safer place to invest. Banks may not be the racy investments they were pre-crisis, but David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments, explains why boring may be good when it comes to banks.
4 mins
Cheaper bonds mean cheaper stocks
A hefty jump in US Treasury yields seems the most likely reason for October’s abrupt sell-off. But chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth finds it hard to believe the US economy is about to keel over, given recent data, and believes equities – while volatile – should remain the place to be for the foreseeable future.
5 mins
The double-edged sword of longevity
People may be living longer than before, but many of them still routinely underestimate how long they might live. And that means there's a very real risk that they could outlive their retirement funds altogether.
3 mins
Hope and glory
In some ways, the US and UK are more alike than ever: both are wrestling with their identities as nations. And yet the Special Relationship is a study in contrasts economically, notes chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth.
4 mins
Diamonds in the Bo…rough
Will McIntosh-Whyte, assistant manager of our multi-asset funds, finds a few hidden gems while exploring his new digs in zone one. He found another in Wisconsin, USA.
3 mins
A brand new world: why millennials matter
Rathbones’ head of equity research Sanjiv Tumkur discusses how the next generation is steering consumer trends, and why millennials matter for investors of all ages.
4 mins
A brand new world: challenges to established brands
Companies selling big global brands have come to be known as ‘dividend aristocrats’ because of their long track records of stable earnings power. Rathbones’ head of equity research Sanjiv Tumkur discusses how these ‘branded gentry’ are under threat in a rapidly changing consumer landscape, and how some are adapting.
4 mins
Beware the guru
Elon Musk has got himself in hot water with the SEC after months of erratic behaviour. Our head of multi-asset investments, David Coombs, ponders the effects of hubris.
3 mins
It’s the real (skinny) thing
Coca-Cola’s purchase of Costa Coffee is a smart move away from sugar and gives the company plenty of options, argues head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. And the growth in coffee sales may surprise you …
4 mins
Underneath the arches
David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments, has been watching too much EastEnders. But it’s got him thinking about how assets can be dressed up as something else.
3 mins
Automation for the nation: the future of finance
Artificial intelligence (AI) is infiltrating every area of modern life, from voice recognition devices like Alexa to driverless cars. And financial technology is not immune from the relentless march of AI either.
3 mins