Economic and market insight
Review of the week
Review of the week: Here we go again
England will soon plunge back into lockdown. It shouldn’t be as economically painful as the first time around, says chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth. But it won’t be good.
8 mins
Review of the week: The spooky season
Halloween is stuffed full of potential frights this year and a bit light on the fun. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth tiptoes around Brexit, US elections and earnings season.
6 mins
Review of the week: Sliced and diced
We all try to structure our financial affairs as efficiently as possible, so we have more money to do what we want with our lives. Yet sometimes our financial affairs start to affect the structure of our lives and our communities, notes chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth.
8 mins
Review of the week: Predicting the unpredictable
Biden has taken the edge in the polls but previous experience begs the question: do polls really matter? Our chief investment officer, Julian Chillingworth, mulls the possible outcomes of the US election and the effectiveness of the UK government’s spending packages.
6 mins
Review of the week: Computer says no
The government started the fourth quarter with the political equivalent of a kitchen-sinking. Best to focus your attention elsewhere, argues chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth, like better-than expected economic data and the potential for monetary stimulus.
5 mins
Review of the week: Time flies
There’s so much going on that it can seem like nothing in isolation makes any difference. That’s not true, argues chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth. Every decision matters.
6 mins
Review of the week: Post-holiday blues
As winter approaches, the news looks glum. Yet we should take heart from our ability to adapt, argues chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth.
7 mins
Review of the week: Balancing act
The infectiousness of COVID-19 means economic growth is often bundled with new cases. Governments, people and businesses have to make hard choices, argues chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth, and the conundrum isn’t going away soon.
6 mins
Review of the week: Otherwise fine
As summer winds down and the pandemic persists, governments are finding it hard to taper their support measures. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth is chipper enough, albeit with an umbrella under his arm.
7 mins
Review of the week: White House rescue
Congress failed to seal a benefit extension for unemployed Americans or figure out how to support cash-strapped states as the summer recess looms. It fell to the President to come up with a contested stopgap.
7 mins
Review of the week: Control the message
Corporate results fared well during lockdowns, yet they are still well below pre-pandemic levels. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth examines why gold has hit record highs and why ‘riskier’ banks have done better than vanilla ones.
7 mins
Review of the week: Foxes and storks
Investors have piled into gold as the reality of US-China diplomacy starts to resemble Aesop’s fabled fox and stork. Chief investment officer Julian Chillingworth also ponders whether US tech shares are priced for perfection as he looks ahead to some big earnings results this week.
5 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