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
Food 2.0
How innovative companies are finding sustainable ways to feed the world in challenging circumstances.
3 mins
Platforms are back, but not stagflation
In the midst of an unfolding humanitarian crisis, our thoughts are first and foremost with the people of Ukraine. But with an eye to our duty to our clients, we explain our views on the impact of the war and other big uncertainties investors are facing.
5 mins
Geopolitics and energy
With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggering sanctions and potentially cutting off supplies of fossil fuels, the transition to clean energy just got more complicated.
4 mins
ESG: three confusing letters
The ESG acronym is everywhere now. But these three letters can spell a lot of confusion. Our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist Rahab Paracha explains why the recent war in Ukraine has prompted a new debate on what belongs in ESG funds.
4 mins
Are all the geeks American?
US tech firms have played a dominant role in driving stock market returns for several years. Co-chief investment officer Ed Smith asks: will future innovation continue to be concentrated in America? And where should investors look to for the next wave of tech innovation?
4 mins
Dialling it down
The war in Ukraine has impacted virtually all commodity prices. Households and businesses are already feeling the effects, notes David Coombs, our head of multi-asset investments.
3 mins
Avoiding the hot air
Hydrogen power should be a powerful fuel of the future, which is leading to a lot of hype today. Our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist Rahab Paracha explains why investing through larger energy companies seems the best course for now.
5 mins
Is it time for a financial Plan B?
It’s been many years since inflation has given investors something to worry about. Rathbone Income Fund co-manager Carl Stick believes UK equity income sector may be an attractive antidote.
3 mins
Crypto Bowl 2022
Our multi-asset investment specialist Craig Brown is an old-school New Englander from the northern tip of Essex. His penchant for gridiron leads him into a blitz of crypto ads.
4 mins
Out of touch
UK policymakers are engineering a big squeeze on UK households this year, warns head of multi-asset investments David Coombs. Globally driven inflation should pass on its own, tightening policy risks making it worse.
3 mins
It’s the economy, Cupid!
Investor affections are proving fickle. But our multi-asset portfolios manager Will McIntosh-Whyte argues that in love and markets, it’s the things that last that really matter.
4 mins
Hydrogen – the fuel of our future?
Hydrogen is the simplest and most prevalent element in our universe. Yet turning it into clean energy is complicated indeed, notes our sustainable multi-asset investment specialist, Rahab Paracha.
5 mins