Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: Sprouts of spring
Flowers, hopes and yields are rising as spring approaches. Still, the UK government is only very cautiously reopening as vaccinations continue apace.
7 mins
Review of the week: Profits are back
Company profits are bouncing back earlier than expected. How quickly will our economies come back to life once vaccinations are finished? And how different will they be?
5 mins
Review of the week: Ghosts of the past
Are we due a re-run of the Roaring Twenties? And if so, what does that mean? A look back at the world’s last post-pandemic recovery and a bit more besides.
8 mins
Review of the week: Like birds in the sky
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. The GameStop upheaval on Wall Street is part of the ongoing democratisation of finance. Ignore its effects at your peril.
7 mins
Review of the week: Everything is up
Markets have had a stellar run, despite mixed news on inoculations. It’s in everyone’s interests for asset prices to remain high, but that’s no guarantee they will stay that way. As always, diversification is key.
6 mins
Review of the week: E pluribus unum
One President will be sworn in as his predecessor is set to be impeached. What matters for the US now is a united front from lawmakers to support the economy against the latest wave of COVID-19.
7 mins
Review of the week: A Christmas like no other
While we were all cooped up inside, everything was happening out there. Breakthroughs on Brexit and COVID-19 collided with political strife and big moves in bond yields.
7 mins
Review of the week: Playing fair by trade
Brexit was always going to be hard. The tortuous negotiation of a trade deal highlights the difficult compromise at its heart: the freedom of sovereignty or the prosperity that comes with smooth trade.
7 mins
Review of the week: Making sense of the numbers
Stock markets shot the lights out in November as news of promising vaccines hit the wires. The realities of distribution have lessened the glow a bit recently, leading investors to start reassessing their approach.
7 mins
Review of the week: Thanksgiving may be a super-spreader; will vaccine news bring holiday cheer?
Thanksgiving may be a super-spreader event this year, as governments around the world try to plan their way through the upcoming festive season. But investors have been given a boost from good vaccine news.
5 mins
Review of the week: The race to roll out a vaccine is on as markets soar
News of a potentially viable vaccine is welcome, yet markets have rocketed back extremely quickly considering it is yet to be approved. With COVID-19 spreading rapidly once again, time is of the essence.
7 mins
Review of the week: Telling stories
When it comes to grabbing headlines and stealing attention, reality is at a disadvantage to imagination. Our chief investment officer, Julian Chillingworth, ponders what it means for politics and investments.
8 mins
FIT FOR LONGER WORKING LIVES?
As the holiday season winds down and we get back to our desks, we may have mixed feelings about recognising that longer lifespans will probably keep us working for longer. Rathbone Income Fund co-manager Carl Stick looks at some of the innovations that might help us stay in fine fettle.
4 mins
Taxes, beaches and bonds
A flurry of new UK government spending raises concerns that Labour will return to its tax and spend habits. Multi-Asset Portfolios Fund Manager David Coombs mulls whether current trends will put interest rate cuts on pause.
3 mins
Guess who’s back?
Former President Donald Trump is the odds-on favourite to win the US election in November, despite the Democrats’ decision to bring on a last-minute substitute. Flashbacks to the bad old days of the pandemic help Multi-Asset Fund Manager David Coombs remember the playbook of dealing with him.
5 mins
Record rotations in stocks and English Euros hopes
Multi-asset fund manager David Coombs channels some empathy for Gareth Southgate, as he looks to put together a portfolio that can achieve optimal performance over the long haul, but may look out of touch during periods when market momentum is against you.
6 mins
Things can only get better for UK equities
Labour will form the next government in the UK. While it may take time, new ideas could help solve the nation’s long-standing lack of investment and help boost the stock market from its doldrums, argues Rathbone Income Fund Manager Alan Dobbie.
4 mins
The end of a long winter for UK stocks?
Could fortunes be turning for British stocks, asks Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund Manager Alexandra Jackson. As the UK prepares to vote in the sunshine, investors seem more optimistic than they’ve been for years.
3 mins
An electric future
You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone – or gets super expensive, notes equity investment specialist Michael Cumberlidge. Demands on our electricity grids are going to grow rapidly in coming years, so we need to invest in them now.
5 mins
Can less be more?
Rathbone Income Fund Manager Carl Stick argues that relentlessly busy bees aren’t always as productive as they seem. Might the answer be to do fewer things better?
4 mins
AI: just what the doctor ordered
Since joining our Multi-Asset Team earlier this year as a fixed income analyst, Sally Hoang has really enjoyed the cross-asset lens that’s used when analysing investments. Combined with her background as a pharmacist, it helps her understand the potential for AI in healthcare.
4 mins
Can sustainable bonds offer shelter from the storm?
Sticky inflation and wild swings in rate-cut expectations have tested investors’ mettle over the last few months. Assistant Rathbone Greenbank Global Sustainable Bond Fund Manager Christie Goncalves explains why she believes sustainable bonds could be one corner of the fixed income market offering welcome resilience.
4 mins
Are govvies as exciting as murder in the Mediterranean?
Government bonds have given investors whiplash as their yields bounce around the place like a psychopath in 1950s Italy. Yet multi-asset portfolios fund manager David Coombs explains why he’s holding on tight.
5 mins
Challenger comebacks
Rathbone UK Opportunities Fund equity analyst Robbie Carr marvels at the speed of an FA Cup comeback. It makes him wonder if UK small and mid-sized companies could soon post a rapid recovery of their own.
2 mins