Market Update: Shock, rotation, growth?
Amid shocking global events, the market rotation from large to small cap stocks continues. Will the positive effects for small caps be enough to outweigh the wealth losses for the tech giants?
Market Update: Lower inflation, less profits?
Last week was an interesting week in capital markets. Global stocks are a nudge above where they were last Friday in aggregate, but this hides a great deal of variation. There was a steady climb early in the week, led once again by large US mega-caps, but this completely flipped into the latter days. Smaller stocks suddenly dramatically outperformed, while the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ (Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, Tesla) sold off sharply.
Market Update: New government, same economy
Keir Starmer was not wrong when he called this an historic victory. It is the Labour party’s first election win since 2005, ending 14 years of Conservative rule and handing the latter party its worst ever defeat. The results were emphatic, but full of contradictions. Labour won one of the largest parliamentary majorities in history with the lowest ever winning vote share. Britain’s right-wing party collapsed, but the Reform party outflanking it, surged. The new government crushed the old by emphasising the need for change, but its policy agenda emphasises stability and continuity. And the contradiction most relevant to us...
Tean’s Client Success Story Published in Financial Times Adviser
Our Chartered and Independent Financial Adviser, Tean Hatt was interviewed by the Financial Times Adviser’s senior reporter Alina Khan earlier this month about a recent client case that has highlighted a wider issue for older women and the state pension. The resulting story was front page news in this national newspaper aimed at the financial services industry. This news outlet is renowned for its focus on financial advice and engaging thought leadership pieces that profoundly impact both advisers and clients across the UK.
Transfers Exempt From Inheritance Tax
When contemplating estate planning, it's pivotal to grasp the nuances of lifetime transfers and the significant impact of the 7-year rule. Gifts made during one's lifetime are classified either as Potentially Exempt Transfers (PETs) or Chargeable Lifetime Transfers (CLTs), based on the nature of the gift and its recipient, unless the gift falls under an exemption. This distinction is crucial for anyone aiming to navigate the complexities of Inheritance Tax efficiently.
Market Update: The business of politics, politics without policy
This Friday marks the end of the second quarter and the day after the first, and for Biden disastrous, televised debate of the 2024 US Presidential election - yet markets have been reasonably calm. Large institutional investors are in the midst of their calendar driven portfolio rebalances without causing big price moves between asset classes, but there is still time before US markets close for significant intraday moves like the ones we saw on 31st May.
Market Update: Stock market highs don’t feel so high
A record breaking week for equities headlined a very mixed bag of economic and political developments, but there is definite fuel for optimism.
Market Update: Still mostly sticking to the plan
In a week where politics seemed to drive markets, it was central banks and ever-changing economic growth expectations that made the real difference.
Establishing a Power of Attorney within your estate plan
The significance of an estate plan transcends the mere distribution of your assets after your demise. Integrating a Power of Attorney (POA) ensures that a trusted individual is empowered to make decisions reflecting your best interests when you're not in a position to do so.
June Team News 2024
Welcome to June's Team News. Now we are approaching Summer, we're all hoping to experience some sunshine at long last! So, what is new with our Vizion Team?
Market Update: ECB’s Lagard makes rate cut history
Europe’s first rate cut was anticipated by markets as much as last year’s pivot from further rate rises. Will it stimulate capital markets to the same degree?
Enhancing Pension Contributions For A Brighter Future
Contributing additional amounts to your pension stands to benefit you significantly in the long term. We explore in our blog different ways you can enhance your pension savings for a brighter future.
Market Update: Consolidation
No month end fireworks for May, just dull but solidifying consolidation by increasingly discerning investors focused on the data, not politics (yet).
Market Update: Nvidia versus the Fed
Following the strong upwards surge in stocks and bonds at the beginning of May, capital markets have recently moderated and were mostly flat, to slightly down, overall last week. Britons were preoccupied with Rishi Sunak’s surprise election call – polling now less than six weeks away – but capital markets clearly had bigger things to worry about.
New Pension Tax Framework
The implications of these changes will largely depend on individual circumstances, such as the aggregate value of one's pension savings, any prior withdrawals from pension schemes and existing lifetime allowance protections.
Market Update: Pluses and Minuses
It was a decent week for investors, with global stocks up around 1% from last Friday. British and European equities finished virtually flat, with the US and China slightly up. The gain for US stocks was not outsized, but it was enough to take the S&P 500 to a fresh all-time high on Wednesday. Breaking that record made a fairly average week for markets look like a great one.
Market Update: A blooming May for the UK
Global equity markets are rising and the UK is now doing well, the Bank of England is dovish and Sterling is holding up - is political change less worrisome here than elsewhere?
DPMS Portfolio Commentary May 2024
Despite a somewhat rocky start to the year, Q1 2024 proved to be very strong across equity markets due to improving profit growth expectations, falling inflation, optimism around interest rate cut timing and excitement around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Technology sector. Whilst some elements of inflation proved to be stickier than first thought, markets have shrugged this information off and continue to look to the future with a period of rate cuts from Central Banks albeit at a later staged than initially thought.
Market Update: Still sticking to the plan
Central bankers give confident message that inflation targets will be met.
DPMS Portfolio Commentary June 2024
With an improving macro-economic backdrop, May 2024 has provided some strong returns across developed markets as investors look forward to a rate cutting cycle, GDP growth figures start to accelerate and optimism around the Technology sector continues. After some difficulties in Q1, the UK equity market has catapulted forwards as a top performer quarter-to-date to the end of May, following better-than-expected GDP growth figures, which brought the UK out of recession.