There’s been some speculation At the start of 2020 the economy was set up for a year of synchronised growth. Thoughts of any growth were put aside as the Covid-19 pandemic caused the worst recession since the Great Depression. The… Read More…

When will those dark clouds all disappear After a tumultuous year of geo-political, political and economic change global growth has slowed to its lowest annual rate since the financial crisis. Growth slowing to 3% and a benign inflationary environment provided… Read More…

Global Equity markets have had a very strong November. The UK FTSE 100 index rose 12.7% and the MSCI World grew 12% over the month following the results of the US election and announcements of multiple Covid-19 vaccines. However, both… Read More…

Change of Heart Pt. 2 After the uncertainty of October, November saw confidence return to markets following the US presidential election and the announcement of a number of viable coronavirus vaccines. Relief and a new direction Whilst Joe Biden’s victory… Read More…

After a strong start to October equities sold off in the second half of the month led by European markets, the Oil price and ‘Quality’ companies. Concerns over a second Coronavirus wave were realised during the month, with record daily… Read More…

Tug of war The global economy has maintained its recovery from the depths of the worst recession since WWII; however, we have not recovered to pre-crisis levels, and the outlook remains uncertain. The global daily Covid-19 case count rose steadily… Read More…

Downside volatility returned to markets in September, with concerns over a second Coronavirus wave in Europe, a US presidential election looming and a bifurcated market resulting in global equities falling 2.9% over the month. European governments have reintroduced lockdown measures… Read More…

There’s something going on that’s not quite right The summer has been positive for risk markets, as the decoupling between the global economy and financial markets continues. US equity markets have continued serenely and aggressively to ever higher highs. However,… Read More…

August is traditionally a more muted period for markets, however global equities rose 6.3% over the month despite mixed global economic data. US, Japan and China equity markets rose strongly. The Coronavirus surge in certain states in the US appears… Read More…

It’s lonely out in space After the enforced inactivity of the spring there are signs of an economic recovery as lockdown measures are lifted and social distancing relaxed. These measures have also allowed the Coronavirus to re-emerge. The number of… Read More…

US GDP fell by an annualised 32.9% over the last quarter, the greatest drop in output since records began in 1947, reflecting the impact of the Coronavirus driven lockdown on the country and the world. The number of recorded Coronavirus… Read More…

The Only Way is Up! It has been a tumultuous 6 months for economies and markets. There is a high probability that the second half of the year will be similar. Coronavirus continues to affect everyone’s life, the global economy… Read More…

Global equity markets delivered another month of gains, with MSCI World returning 2.4%1 over the month. The global index has recovered almost 20% over the last 3 months and 35.6% since the start of the rebound on 23 March. After… Read More…

Bouncin’ Back Whilst much of the western world has seen a reduction in Covid-19 infections over recent weeks there are still countries grappling with the virus and its economic consequences. We don’t know when or if we may get a… Read More…

Most equity markets continued their recovery during May, albeit at a slower pace than April. The unprecedented amount of stimulus provided by central banks and governments have offset the worry of declining profits, weak economic data and increasingly hostile war… Read More…