Insights

High inflation is a dominant concern for markets but investors were comforted when October US consumer price rises were shown to be a little less than expected. Meanwhile, the prices that businesses pay and pass on are varying hugely across the world,...

Overview: Prospects of a Fed pivot put on pauseOn the whole, investors enjoyed another positive week in markets, as better-than-expected US retail spending figures, a falling dollar and still-declining European energy prices prolonged last week’s positive sentiment swing initiated by slowing US...

The Autumn Statement, budget-in-all-but-name, had been sign posted as very likely to bring bad news to UK taxpayers, as the third Conservative government of this parliament changed course from Trussonomics back to Rishinomics. As we had suspected in our video update this...

During stressful periods for markets investors commonly look for strategies to provide protection for portfolios outside of traditional asset classes. ‘Put options’ are often described as portfolio insurance for investors. For the price of an “insurance premium” they give you the right...

Overview: signs of ‘peak’ inflation emboldens marketsThere were three big stories in capital markets last week: the US midterm elections, the latest crash in the surreal world of crypto currencies, and the release of US inflation data for October. By Friday, it...

There were three big market-moving stories this week: the US midterm elections, the latest crash in the surreal world of crypto currencies, and the release of US inflation data for October. By Friday, it was the lower-than-expected inflation data that dominated in...

Overview: divergent paths and scary season messagesConsidering the gloomy news from the US and UK central banks last week, investors enjoyed a decent enough start to November. In the UK, the 0.75% rate rise from the Bank of England (BoE) came as...

Considering the gloomy news this week from central banks in the US and UK, investors enjoyed a decent enough start to November. Following on from the rebound over the second half of October, it has been welcome news that capital markets no...

The UK has a new government, and thanks to the speed of events, the recent turmoil in the UK gilts market may start to feel like an episode of the distant past. At the same time, it remains a vivid example of...

Overview: New governments, new and old challengesThe most turbulent October experienced by UK bond markets since 2008 is drawing to an end and one could easily get the impression nothing of significance happened. Sterling is back to where it traded just before...