Russian invasion continues to dominate markets with uncertainty March saw the continued humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which, unsurprisingly, still dominates the markets. The lack of certainty, and ability to predict any outcome, with any degree of reliable interpretation, has the knock-on effect of extreme shifts in the markets.
Russian invasion of Ukraine sees investors flight to safety February saw Russian president Vladimir Putin launch a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine at the cost of real humanitarian consequences. The move came despite threats from the major economies of the EU, US and UK warning of their intention to impose economic sanctions in retaliation. The invasion has shocked
Global shockwaves for the markets There has been a brutal sell-off within the equity markets, fuelling the narrative for January 2022 of market “shockwaves” and predicting a further bumpy ride ahead. From a pure macro perspective, this appears to be as result of the end of the ‘Covid cycle’ that has driven markets for the
Pre-Christmas interest rate rise sends message At the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting on the 15th December, the committee voted by a majority of 8-1 to increase the bank rate by 0.15 to 0.25%. With many thinking the rise would come in November, the MPC show they are still able to surprise us by
Responding to, or causing, shocks? BoE leaves rate unchanged The Bank of England (BoE) Monetary Policy Committee, in its November meeting, set out once more how they maintain inflation is expected to depart from the target of 2% as the economy responds to “shocks”. But then delivered their own shock to the market, with a 7-2
The ‘no-wow’ budget October saw the UK government’s autumn budget announcement amongst widespread criticism for its lack of wow factor. In Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s words, the focus is very much on the “post-COVID era”, so it was no surprise to see measures designed to relieve some of the pressures on retail, hospitality and leisure businesses,
UK economy still short of a bounce back Headlines declaring the prediction of the “strongest economic growth since WWII” by the Bank of England have certainly grabbed investors’ attention, and fit the positive narrative created by the recent, previous prediction of a 7% growth rate for the UK economy. But… there is a but coming.
Surprising market recovery signs amidst coronavirus Coronavirus continues to dominate the headlines as much as ever due to its significant effect on the world’s markets and investor behaviour. But you might be surprised that even within this COVID-19 context, just how positive the outlook is predicted to be and how recovered some aspects of the
What does the COVID-19 recovery mean for investors? Here we are, one year on from COVID-19 when lockdowns became a part of our reality all across the globe. For investors, and potential investors, COVID-19 has affected so many aspects of the markets. But now the outlook is improving, should we remain cautious? 2020 effects on
The main rhetoric this month has been the threat of rising inflation rates leading to some sections of financial markets to reduce exposure towards government bonds. The inflationary pressure also made its way through to many equity markets as investors speculated rising inflation rates may see central banks begin to withdraw monetary stimulus packages. Could