I realise the title above sounds a little like a famous advert from the 1990s (other telecoms operators are available) but, at least during the last month, the world’s political and economic leaders have continued to talk. And talking is just what they need to do. Of course making a few decisions is even better... [...]
A Budget in October is unusual, but there are two main reasons why the Chancellor’s performance marginally pre-empted Halloween this year. The first is that we are now in the new cycle of Autumn Budgets and Spring Statements, the première of the latter having been made on 13 March.
For a number of months now, the world’s largest survey of fund managers has observed that, when asked for their greatest financial market fear, the most cited response has been a ‘trade war’. There is a significant slug of rationality for this.
Major macro factors affecting the economy and financial markets over the next six to twelve months include trade policy, interest rates, earnings growth, Federal Reserve (Fed) policy, and geopolitical uncertainty.
I thought I would use Billy Connolly’s witticism about his homeland to highlight the essential debate in financial markets at the moment. During the last month, the UK’s most-quoted stock market index - helped by a rising oil price boosting energy sector shares - reached an all-time high.
Major macro factors affecting the economy and financial markets over the next six to twelve months include interest rates, earnings growth, inflation, monetary policy, and global economic growth.
So how was February for you? For many it would have been a bit of a shock with the global indices in aggregate posting their first monthly loss since the autumn of 2016, which is a long time ago. The real question however is whether this heralds a new downward trend, whether this is just [...]
There is an old market expression that says ‘As goes January, so goes the year’. The historic data rationale for holding this view is decidedly mixed but global equity market investing adherents will be entering February feeling very excited. Simply put, January was a decidedly positive month for global equity investors, and it is easier to say which markets went down rather than quote the long list who had their best start to the year for a number of years.
Outside of a few select emerging markets, inflation worries have been notable by their absence for financial market participants in recent years. Of the major global central banks, only the Bank of England is currently mildly embarrassed due to the specific influence of lapping the post Brexit referendum vote weak Pound period, which had a mechanical impact of raising import prices.
Preparing for his interview with Wealth Manager, Rupert Forrest has done some research on Yorkshire, the region where he has lived for a decade, and where in 2015 he launched his business, Raymond James Leeds.
It’s tempting to credit this to a military adherence to the six Ps, drilled into him in his earlier career as an infantry officer, but it as likely more to do with an innate amiability and desire to help out – the characteristics, he says, which motivated him to leave the security of his former blue-chip bank employment.
