Market Commentary

It was a positive week for investment markets. During November, investors have become progressively more reassured that we have reached the peak in interest rates, leading to an increase in risk appetite and strong gains for global equity markets. Inflation has continued to fall faster in many cases than expected and this instils a feeling…

The nation waited patiently on Wednesday to receive Jeremy Hunt’s much-anticipated Autumn Statement. The Chancellor announced policies aiming to cut taxes (personal and business) and stimulate growth in British businesses. In terms of market reaction, it was fairly muted. Thankfully, there was no repeat of the volatility caused by Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s disastrous…

In the world of finance, Inflation was firmly on the agenda this week as investors keenly awaited the release of October’s data.         First up on Tuesday, we got the news that consumer price inflation (CPI) in the United States fell from 3.7% in September to 3.2% in October, and importantly, core…

UK Government bond prices moved higher (causing yields to fall) this week following comments from the Bank of England’s chief economist, Huw Pill, that the bank may be willing to consider interest rate cuts in the middle of next year.         Similar price moves have been experienced in the US and Europe in…

After a tough October for investment markets, the start of November saw a welcomed bounce as investors reacted positively to a number of central bank interest rate decisions.         The Bank of England (BoE) announced that interest rates would be held for the second consecutive month at 5.25%. Six members of the…

Earnings season got up to a gallop this week with many of the world’s largest companies updating shareholders. The moves at an index level in the United States were dominated by a mixed bag of results from tech giants, including Microsoft (beat expectations), Alphabet (missed), Amazon (beat) and Meta (beat).     Across Europe, some…

Equity markets were generally lower this week following a reduction in risk appetite amongst investors as the uncertainty around the heartbreaking events in the Middle East increased. On Wednesday, the Office for National Statistics released the latest inflation data for the UK. Having been expected to fall slightly over the month, inflation held steady at…

This week, investors’ attention was focused on the tragic events unfolding in the Middle East. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by this terrible violence.         In times of increased uncertainty, investors normally show an inclination for what they perceive to be safe haven assets. These typically include…

Stocks and bonds were generally lower this week as investors latched on to the US Federal Reserve’s narrative last week that interest rates are likely to stay higher for longer. Given the resilience of the US economy so far this year, there is now an expectation that monetary policy will need to be kept in…