Market Commentary

It is a busy week with Inflation data in the UK released, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announcing interest rates in the States and finally, the Bank of England setting rates.         The Office for National Statistics published new CPI data on Wednesday which showed inflation rose by 6.7% in the 12 months…

This week, it was announced that UK wages grew 7.8% in the three months to July, the highest rate on record, despite a slowing jobs market which saw a rise in unemployment and slower hiring. With vacancies now below 1 million, the ratio of unemployed people to vacant jobs has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels.…

This week, the pound weakened against the dollar to a 3-month low following comments from the Bank of England (BoE) governor that cast doubts over the need to raise interest rates any further in the UK. He was keen to stress that he wasn’t providing formal guidance, but the market took it as a signal…

It was a positive week for investment markets. Investors clung to weaker-than-expected economic data as a sign that the US economy is starting to cool down and correspondingly, the Federal Reserve will be more inclined to hold interest rates when they next meet on the 19th/20th September. On Wednesday, the ADP National Employment report showed…

This week it was announced that higher borrowing costs in the UK have hit demand and seen economic activity in the country fall unexpectedly for the first time since January. The release of August’s flash UK composite purchasing managers’ index on Wednesday saw forecasts for peak interest rates fall below 6%, with Sterling weakening against…

This week, the main focus of investors’ attention was on inflation data released on Wednesday. Having fallen more than expected in June, there was an expectation that a further downward trend would be seen in July. That proved correct, and, broadly in line with expectations, headline inflation fell to 6.8% on an annualised basis, down…

How do you intend to convert your pension pot into income when you retire?  To some extent the answer depends upon how you intend to retire, which is increasingly a more gradual process.  Flexibility is normally more important for a phased retirement, as you will need to adjust your pension benefits according to the level…

On Thursday, we saw the latest inflation data released in the United States. Having fallen to 3% in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced inflation had increased slightly to 3.2% in July, broadly in line with expectations. Importantly, when stripping out some of the more volatile components like food and energy, core inflation saw…

Following the US Federal Reserve’s announcement last Wednesday, it was the turn of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England (BoE) to meet this week and set interest rates in the UK. Despite appeals from individuals and business leaders to pause one of the steepest hiking cycles in history, with inflation still nearly…

It was a positive week for equity markets. There were no surprises from the Federal Reserve (Fed) meeting and a raft of broadly encouraging corporate results supported investor sentiment. On Wednesday, the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.25%, bringing it to a target range of 5.25% – 5.5%, its highest level in 22…