Market Update: Will the UK Property Downturn Change the Investment Landscape?
In the wake of Kwasi Kwarteng’s ill-received budget, mortgages were the hot topic. Lenders pulled swathes of mortgage products in expectation of sharply higher interest rates from the Bank of England. When those products were reintroduced a few days later, the rates offered were three to four times higher. The potential effects on consumers and households were well-publicised – and the backlash therein was no doubt a big motivator for the government’s partial U-turn.
Market Update: Reading the Runes of Last Week’s Market Bounce
Market volatility has been in the air all year and given the macroeconomic backdrop this is not at all surprising. A weakening global economy marred by war and labour market-driven supply squeezes, while simultaneously trying to cope with aggressive central bank rate hiking to prevent inflation turning permanent, all makes for the distinct whiff of recession. But volatile markets do not always swipe down, as the beginning of last week showed, nor do they stay volatile forever.
Market Update: Loss of Trust?
Last week provided the evidence for the fragility of capital markets as they grapple with the strain of transitioning from an ultra-low interest rate environment back to the one we knew before the global financial crisis of 2008. A policy mistake around the smaller part of the UK government’s fiscal measures aimed at fending off a looming recession rattled international capital markets to such an extent that it is now likely to create far more headwind than support for the UK’s economy in the winter ahead.
Market Update: Competing Policy Measures Leave Markets Worried
The last two weeks have been sobering for investors world-wide, with all major markets (including bond markets) falling between 5% and 10%. This has come after an encouraging recovery rally over the summer that was driven by falling oil prices, which fuelled expectations that the worst of the inflationary headwinds were behind us, allowing central banks to pause their aggressive monetary tightening course, and that a turnaround in economic fortunes was therefore imminent.
Market Update: The Fed at work and China snubs Putin
Starting with investment concerns, the consequences of a European war continue to dominate our economy and markets, as it does throughout Western Europe and, to some degree Asia. Meanwhile, seemingly unaffected by the rest of the world, the US is blazing its own trail.
Market Update: The End of Eras
With great sadness, we pass from the second Elizabethan age. Our Queen was a constant during this period of intensely rapid change. Across the political spectrum, we can acknowledge her ceaseless responsibility to her people. She retained her dignity as monarch throughout her reign supported by her faith and her humanity that was obvious to all.
Market Update: Waiting for Policy Action
The summer is nearing its end and with it the return of the more typical English late summer climes. It may feel as if markets have taken a hint with their 5-day downdraft until Thursday, although most outsiders will look at the week’s media frenzy and blame the tumble on the truly intimidating outlook for energy bills during the winter heating season.
Market Update: Delicate equilibrium
All eyes were on the world’s central bankers last week, who are guests of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) at its annual conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Markets are particularly eager to hear what Fed chair Jay Powell has to say – hoping that his speech will give hints on the direction of US and global monetary policy.
Market Update: Will a New PM Be Good News for Investors?
We rarely talk about UK politics in our deliberations on the global investment markets. That’s not because we’re not interested. Rather, it is because domestic politics have less of an effect on the broader global assets that we invest in on your behalf.
Market Update: Fear of Missing Out
Investors are feeling FOMO: the “fear of missing out” once again. Last week was a continuation of the trend from the start of July – which has seen a significant boost to both bond and equity markets. Curiously, the good feeling among investors seems unaffected by the bad news all around.
Market Update: Positive Returns Amidst Negative Sentiment
For a second consecutive quarter, the US economy shrank in real terms. Yet the US Federal Reserve (Fed) raised interest rates by another 0.75% on Wednesday because the US economy is too strong.
Market Update: Economy Weakens but Central Banks Persevere
Global investors tend to be quite US-focused, as the world’s largest economy has an outsized impact on trends across the world. Last week though, attention was on the other side of the Atlantic. European economic data caught the eyes of traders – and unfortunately not for the right reasons. Both consumer and business sentiment surveys indicated unexpected weakness, heralding a downturn across the continent.
Getting ready to retire?
Have you ever wondered what you need to consider as you approach retirement? Whatever your concept of what is a good pension pot, one certainty is that relying on the State Pension alone will not give you a good enough pension to live on comfortably through your retirement.
Dealing with Divorce
No one enters into marriage expecting it to end in divorce. However, for many couples, divorce is the sad reality. If you are facing divorce, it is important to know that you are not alone. Each year, thousands of people go through the divorce process.
Market Update: Linchpin Oil Price
As central banks around the world were busy reasserting their authority and credibility as the guardians of monetary stability, the previous week’s stock market wobble turned into a fully-fledged rout last week. The growth concerns that preoccupied investors morphed into fears that central banks have become so determined to stop inflation from embedding itself that they are prepared to accept that proceeding with monetary tightening countermeasures may indeed lead to a global recession.
Market Update: Reading Between the Lines
After the resurging positive sentiment of past weeks, markets were this week once again showing signs of fragility – the mood was decidely ‘risk off’. We could characterise this as growth scepticism, or more wariness that inflation will require even stronger and swifter central bank policy tightening before it is effectively squeezed out. Last week’s move towards monetary tightening from the European Central Bank (ECB) – even though long anticipated – provided the necessary headlines.
Listed in the Sunday Times’ Guide of the UK’s Top Rated Financial Advisers…Again!
We are so proud to have both Andrew Flowers and James Blackham included in The Times as one of the most popular financial advice firms, according to VouchedFor for yet another year. The rating site released its list of financial advisers who qualified for its 2022 Guide To The UK’s Top Rated Financial Advisers by receiving the highest number of positive reviews from their clients. At a time where demand for advice is growing, but consumers don’t always know where to turn, the aim of the guide is to shine a light on those advisers delivering consistently great outcomes for...
Market Update: Talking recession to fight inflation
It has been another rocky ride week for capital markets, with inflation talk increasingly turning into chatter of an ‘inevitable’ recession, prompting the most recent cohort of DIY retail investors to throw in the towel. However, the thin trading volumes, plus the fact there’s no clear directional trend within stock markets, tells us institutional investors are staying put.
Market Update: Bear market fear as another tech bubble deflates
To some investors it will seem the old investor adage of ‘Sell in May and go away’ has once again proven correct, especially when the US S&P500 fell within touching distance of that bear market threshold of -20% last week. However, what makes this particular market correction different to others experienced since the pandemic is that it has disproportionally affected those risk assets considered safe havens when economic growth prospects faltered – namely US tech mega caps and other tech names quoted on the NASDAQ.
Market Update: Range bound markets – despite the drama
Equity markets have been range-bound through the past few weeks, but it does not feel like it. Volatility is at its highest since the nasty period in March 2020, which always raises our perceptions of potential downside. But the volatility is not too surprising given the overall mix of news and economic data updates.