Weekly comment Global trade tensions continued to dominate market sentiment over the past week, with bond yields and equities prices dropping further. Oil prices also fell while currencies remained steady and gold benefited from a flight to safety. Iron-ore also continued to impress, despite the trade wars. The focus of market attention... Show More
Here's some of the standout charts on my radar. I aim to pick a good mix of charts covering key global macro trends, and ones which highlight risks and opportunities across asset classes. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 1. Cyclicals vs Defensives -- Keep an eye on... Show More
There’s been a lot of talk of inverted yield curves in the US and whether they portend a recession or a stock market crash. But, I wonder whether we need to watch the yield curve as much as exuberance in stocks themselves?US yield curve inversionCurrently about 3/5ths of the US... Show More
2019 is just a few months away. So when we sat down with Natalie Tam, Investment Director at Aberdeen Standard Investments, we took the opportunity to ask her what she thought the key market issues could be next year. She touches on 5 key issues including the prospect of a... Show More
For much of the last decade, many investors were lured to a particular class of equities which, as they believed, would deliver yields greater than what could be achieved in the bond markets but without taking significantly more risk. This was the environment of ultra-low interest rates which forced investors... Show More
Overnight falls of 3.2% for the DOW (3.30% for S&P, 4.40% NASDAQ) are reminiscent of January-February 2018, and just like then it feels very unpleasant. However as always perspective is required when trying to ascertain whether this is a transitionary correction or the start of something more sinister. Show More
Warren Buffett recently gave an interview where he reiterated his firm belief in the US economy, which justifies Berkshire Hathaway’s investment focus on quality US companies. In doing so, he emphasised the long-term investment horizon, bemoaned the focus on short-term forecasting but defended his right to receive quarterly updates. Show More
Bonds are typically viewed as a defensive allocation in portfolios, however, in a world of rising interest rates, there are concerns about the impact this will have on fixed income returns. Stuart Dear, Deputy Head of Fixed Income at Schroders Australia explains that the dominant driver of bond returns is... Show More
The narrative we see at the moment is for a US-led, global recovery. However, the U.S. economy is at 2% inflation and 2% growth. Both times we had these conditions in recent years, growth fell away very quickly. Here we look at a major headwind that could see this pattern... Show More
There is an endless list of risks for investors to consider. But if we acted on every one of them, we’d never stay invested. To help isolate the key risks to consider in the current market, we asked two fund managers what's keeping them up at night right now. Ben... Show More