Market Commentary

Andrea Wood, Investment Manager On International Women’s Day, we speak to Andrea Wood from our Investment Management team, to ask about her professional experiences in the world of investment and financial planning, what women can do to improve their financial awareness, and her top financial planning tips specifically for women!     Women in financial planning…

This week saw a number of announcements that provided insight into the state of the UK residential housing market. Nationwide Building Society reported that house prices were 0.5% lower in February over the month, the sixth consecutive monthly fall, bringing the annual rate (-1.1%) to a negative for the first time since 2012 (ignoring the…

On Tuesday, the UK government received some unexpected good news in the form of a £5.4bn budget surplus in January. Receipts were boosted by the highest level of self-assessment income tax collected since records began in 1999, and costs were lower with the government’s energy bill support scheme being significantly less expensive than previously forecast.…

This week saw the release of inflation data for the month of January. In the US, inflation came in at 6.4% on an annual basis, slightly ahead of the forecast but still registering a seventh consecutive monthly decline. In the UK, the trend was similar, albeit at higher levels as annualised inflation was recorded at…

It was a volatile but broadly positive week for global investment markets. Investors reacted almost word for word to a speech on Tuesday by Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, where he expressed his view on the likely path for inflation and interest rates in the coming months. Investors are always eager to look for clues…

This week saw both the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of England (BoE) meet to set interest rates. First up on Wednesday, the Fed increased interest rates by 0.25% to between 4.5% and 4.75%, in line with market expectations. Fed chairman Jay Powell acknowledged that there was progress being made in the battle against…

It was a generally positive week for investment markets, as investors focused on individual company performance with the Q4 earnings season gathering pace. Over in the US, there were high-profile earnings misses for Microsoft, and closer to home, while overall performance at Diageo was strong, investors were concerned about slowing sales growth within the all-important…

Having started the week on the front foot, it felt as if investor concerns shifted slightly as the week progressed. Fears about inflation were replaced by concerns about the overall health of the economy, with equity markets softer as a result. Weaker-than-expected economic data in the US on Wednesday provided hope that the battle against inflation might be…

Welcome to the latest edition of Caves Quarterly, where we take a look back over the last few months and look ahead to the future. To read, please click the link below: MHA Caves Wealth Quartely Newsletter – Q4 2022