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Written by Dominic Williams

Jeremy Hunt’s ‘Autumn Statement for Growth’ marked a departure from his March Budget, which lacked significant tax cuts, featured numerous spending promises, and produced a projection from the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) that foresaw a public spending to GDP ratio of 43.4 per cent, the highest since the 70s.  The Autumn Statement, in contrast, introduced £20bn in tax cuts.  Approximately half of this sum resulted from a surprise announcement, reducing employee National Insurance contributions by 2 percentage points, and simplifying self-employed contributions.  This move is anticipated to put £450 back into the pockets of the average worker annually.

One notable announcement is the introduction of ‘full expensing,’ enabling businesses to immediately and fully offset capital investments against corporation tax.  This is expected to provide a substantial incentive for businesses, fostering increased productivity, economic growth and, subsequently, higher wages.  Notably, this tax cut positions the UK with the lowest headline corporation tax rate in the G7.

However, while a National Insurance cut benefits workers, Rishi Sunak’s decision to freeze personal tax thresholds has pulled millions of workers into higher tax brackets.  Consequently, the overall tax burden is still projected to reach a post-war high by 2027-28.

Figures released last week indicated a sharp rise in UK consumer confidence between October and November.  The GfK Consumer Confidence Index, that measures people’s views on personal finances and broader economic prospects, suggests an optimistic outlook.  This has led to increased expectations that the Bank of England will maintain current rates at 5.25 per cent for a longer period than initially anticipated.  This sentiment aligns with the recent statement from Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, emphasising it’s ‘far too early’ for interest rate cuts.  Bailey also cautioned that more efforts are required to bring down inflation to its target rate of 2 per cent, despite the sharp decline in the annual inflation rate.

Looking beyond the UK, the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes reveal no indication of potential rate cuts on the horizon.  Jerome Powell, the Chair, emphasised that the Banks primary focus remains on assessing whether further rate hikes are necessary.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 27^th November 2023.

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Millan Chauhan

The Office for National Statistics released the latest monthly GDP data for the UK, which saw the economy grow at +0.2% in September 2023, which equated to a third quarter GDP figure of 0.0%. September’s GDP reading was largely driven by services and construction growth, however, consumer-facing services fell.

Elsewhere in Europe, economic conditions continued to deteriorate as retail sales in the eurozone fell -0.3% in September, which marked the third consecutive month of negative sales growth. The figure was worse than expected, as consumer demand continues to be challenged by the effects of higher borrowing costs and input costs.

The global ratings agency, Moody’s, changed the outlook on US government debt from stable to negative since fiscal deficits remain large and borrowing costs on its debt have risen significantly. Meanwhile, the US stock market continued to perform well, as the NASDAQ 100 Index returned +4.4% last week in GBP terms, an index which is largely dominated by technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Microsoft is also now trading at all-time highs.

Looking ahead this week, there are numerous important economic data releases including the announcement of the US Inflation rate on Tuesday, with expectations leaning towards 3.3%, and the UK inflation rate on Wednesday, with expectations at 4.8%. On Friday, the eurozone area inflation rate will also be released, with expectations at 2.9%.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 13^th November 2023. 

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Chris Ayton

The impact of higher UK interest rates is increasingly evident in many sectors of the economy. For example, last week The Insolvency Service released data showing the highest corporate insolvency numbers in the UK since 2009. These are companies that can no longer pay their debts, with construction, hotels and food retail particularly affected in the latest numbers.

Data from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors last week also showed the largest drop in construction activity since the pandemic, when the industry largely came to a halt. This current sharp slowdown is undoubtedly being driven by higher costs of borrowing.

However, according to Nationwide, UK house prices unexpectedly rose +0.9% last month, supported by wage growth and a lack of supply of properties for sale. This was the largest rise since March 2022. However, Nationwide also noted the number of transactions remains depressed and prices are still 3.3% lower than where they were a year ago.  In real terms, i.e., after inflation, the declines are obviously even greater.  Perhaps with one eye on a slowing economic backdrop, the Bank of England kept interest rates on hold last week.

Economic data coming out of Europe last week did not make happy reading either.  Firstly, Germany announced it had unexpectedly fallen back into negative GDP growth in the third quarter.  Eurostat, the EU statistics office, then announced the Eurozone economy had also shrunk in the third quarter with contractions in Germany, Ireland and Austria offsetting growth in Spain, Portugal and France.  Eurozone manufacturing activity also contracted for the eighteenth month in a row, and at a faster pace than seen previously. The one bright note was that this weaker activity, combined with lower energy prices, helped Eurozone inflation fall more than expected to 2.9% year-on-year.  This perhaps supported the European Central Bank’s recent decision to keep its benchmark interest rate on hold at 4%.

With an interest rate driven economic slowdown seemingly taking effect, it remains to be seen if and when the attention of policymakers will turn to supporting growth, rather than attacking inflation. Although Central Banks are supposed to be “independent”, political pressure for a change of course will likely be particularly prevalent in countries where a general election is on the horizon. Clearly, any sense that rate hikes may be behind us will be supportive of the strong total return opportunity we see in high quality bonds.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 6^th November 2023. 

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Ilaria Massei

The Office for National Statistics published a new set of data elaborating on a new methodology, which signalled that the UK’s unemployment rate increased to 4.2% during the three months ending in August, compared to 4.0% in the period from March to May. On a separate note, a survey conducted among purchasing managers indicated that business activity within the private sector continued to be in a contractionary phase for the third consecutive month in October. Net approvals for house purchases, which act as a gauge for future borrowing trends, declined to 45,400 in August 2023. This represented a drop from the revised July figure of 49,500, but slightly surpassed the market’s projected 45,000. This decrease marked the lowest point since February, reflecting softened housing activity in response to the Bank of England’s assertive tightening measures.

Following ten consecutive interest rate hikes, the European Central Bank (ECB) opted to keep its key deposit rate steady at 4.0%. The ECB reaffirmed that maintaining this rate for an extended period would assist in bringing back inflation to its medium-term goal of 2.0%. The ECB President Christine Lagarde expressed that the eurozone’s economic condition was fragile and expected to persist in this state for the remainder of the year.

In the US, the focus was on earnings announcements. Although the majority of the mega-cap tech firms displayed robust growth and surpassed consensus forecasts, investors appeared to react strongly to signs of increasing costs, putting downward pressure on stock prices. Most of the equity indexes finished lower last week, moving to correction territory, defined as a decrease by more than 10% of an equity index from a recent high.

Elsewhere, equities in China rose as an improvement in industrial profits suggested that the economy may be stabilising. Additionally, last Tuesday, China’s government authorised the issuance of RMB 1 trillion in additional sovereign debt and approved a plan to raise the fiscal deficit for 2023 to about 3.8% of gross domestic product, up from the 3% limit it set in March.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon.

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of  30^th October 2023. 

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Cormac Nevin

Last week was a challenging one for markets, with the MSCI All Country World Index of global equities down -2.6% in both GBP and local currency terms. It was a broad-based selloff across various global equity markets, while global treasury bonds, credit and high yield bonds were also down modestly.

While geopolitics currently dominate the headlines, with certain markets wary of an escalation of tensions in the Middle East, it is likely that the challenge faced by markets is found closer to home. Over the last six months the “real” rate of interest, which is the rate of interest in excess of the expected inflation rate, has reverted to highs not seen since 2008. For example, the five-year real interest rate in the U.S. reached 2.4% over the month of October.

As inflation is increasingly looking like a risk that is now in the rear-view mirror, markets and economies more broadly are having to contend with a sharp increase in the cost of financing instituted by central banks. The impact is being seen globally as consumers and companies alike re-adjust to the new economic reality. House price sales in the U.S. are now at a 27-year low, as homeowners are reticent to move from mortgages fixed at multi-decade lows in years prior to the current mortgage rate of approximately 8%. In the UK, the number of property transactions has also slowed to the lowest rate in years. Other components of the economy are also facing pockets of challenge, as corporate bankruptcy filings increase and the Private Equity complex resorts to alternative financing sources to meet commitments as they fall due.

While pockets of the economy appear challenged as outlined above, we should be mindful that it is likely that an excellent total return opportunity has presented itself as yields on liquid, high-quality government bonds are at multi-decade highs and could realise appetising gains should central banks be forced to cut rates in the face of economic weakness.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 23^rd October 2023. 

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Millan Chauhan

US markets are currently weighing up whether the Federal Reserve will implement a further interest rate hike at their next scheduled meeting at the end of October. At the Federal Reserve’s last meeting, rates were held steady at a target range of between 5.25% – 5.50%. Over the last few weeks, we have seen yields on longer-dated US Treasury Bonds move higher following the Federal Reserve’s narrative that interest rates could be higher for longer. Over the course of last week, we saw yields on 30-year US Treasury Bonds reach 4.9% which we haven’t seen happen since 2007.

However, at the end of last week, we saw the Bureau of Labor Statistics release the latest US jobs report which surprised markets as we saw an additional 336,000 roles added to the workforce which was well above the consensus of 170,000 and above August’s revised figure of 227,000. With the labour market remaining stronger than expected, there could be one further interest rate hike implemented by the Federal Reserve. Ahead of the Federal Reserve’s next meeting, we are expecting to see the latest US inflation data be revealed this Thursday with consensus leaning towards 3.6%.

Elsewhere, in the UK, house prices fell for a sixth consecutive month as prices fell -0.4% month-over-month in September. House prices began to come under pressure from April onwards as rising borrowing costs have reduced the affordability of new mortgages.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon.

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products.

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments.

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 9^th October 2023

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved.

Written by Shane Balkham

The US government avoided a shutdown late last night, as a dramatic vote at the weekend saw House Speaker Kevin McCarthy navigating around Republican rebels that have been hounding him for weeks.  With less than an hour to go, the White House released a statement at 11:15pm advising that President Biden had signed the measure on a short-term funding deal.

No good deed goes unpunished in US politics.  While Kevin McCarthy may be congratulated by some for buying Congress a few more weeks to negotiate spending priorities and averting a government shutdown, it seems his actions may cost him his job.

Rather than try to placate the far-right rebels, whose demands were too outlandish to pass the spending bill, McCarthy instead pushed ahead with Democratic support and only half of that of the Republicans.  This triggered a response from the rebels who threatened to topple McCarthy if he opted to push legislation forward that needed Democratic support to pass.  The challenge opens up an unpredictable political skirmish this week, as the band of Republican rebels have now made good on the threat of toppling McCarthy.

It is no wonder that the rating agencies look upon the US with tired eyes.  It was only in August that Fitch downgraded the credit worthiness of the US, on the back of weaker governance and heightened political tensions.  Last week also saw Moody’s, another rating agency, warn that a government shutdown would be ‘credit negative’ for the US rating and underscores the continued weakness of US governance.

It was better news for the UK.  The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised the growth for the UK economy in the first quarter of 2023 up to 0.3% from the earlier estimate of 0.1%.  The ONS estimate for second quarter growth remained unchanged at 0.2%.  Growth was also faster than expected last year, up to 4.3% for 2022 revised from an estimate of 4.1%.

However, it is always worth remembering that the US economy is still arguably the most influential economy in the world and how the US government conducts itself still matters to global investors.  Downgrades in ratings could increase the cost of debt for the US government, at the same time they are trying to ratify future spending plans.  With the Federal Reserve currently navigating the potential end of its hiking cycle, these are unwanted distractions at a time of important decision making. It is also worth remembering that any significant disruptions or increased costs in the US, resulting from downgrades and fiscal challenges, could have knock-on effects on the global economy, including the UK.

Political pressure is building and taking centre stage once again, even before we have entered the political circus that will be 2024’s Presidential Election campaign.  Media noise and volatility will likely increase, making it critical that investors have robust long-term multi-asset portfolios, with appropriate levels of diversification.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of [02/10/23]. 

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved. 

Written by Cormac Nevin

While August has been a moderately negative month for markets, we saw a widespread rally last week. This was led by Japanese Equities, as well as growth-biased and small cap equities globally.

The stand-out event of last week was the release of employment data in the US on Friday. This data illustrated how the labour market has been weakening, despite previously appearing to be impervious to the interest rate hiking cycle that the Federal Reserve has been enacting for the last year and a half to cool inflation.

Non-farm payroll data, which is an indication of hiring activity for the month of August, came in slightly higher than expected, however, the data releases for prior months were revised down significantly. It seems to be the case that the initial data releases this year have been too optimistic and are then revised downwards as time passes. In an unexpected move, the unemployment rate for the US also rose from 3.5% to 3.8%, as more people began seeking work who had not been doing so previously. This potentially indicates that the store of cash which households built up over the pandemic, and which has provided a significant economic boost in the reopening, has now begun to run dry.

While the burst of inflationary pressure we witnessed coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic was largely the result of supply chain disruption and shifts in consumer preferences, the Federal Reserve and most other global central banks have responded with a significant tightening in monetary policy to ensure any inflationary impulses are wrought out of the system. In their view, this entails an increase in unemployment to control inflation. The degree of indebtedness globally, along with long-established demographic changes, raises questions about the ability of major economies to sustain higher interest rates without encountering problems. This should likely make central bankers pause for thought.

Any opinions stated are honestly held but are not guaranteed and should not be relied upon. 

The information contained in this document is not to be regarded as an offer to buy or sell, or the solicitation of any offer to buy or sell, any investments or products. 

The content of this document is for information only. It is advisable that you discuss your personal financial circumstances with a financial adviser before undertaking any investments. 

All the data contained in the communication is believed to be reliable but may be inaccurate or incomplete. Unless otherwise specified all information is produced as of 04/09/2023.

© 2023 YOU Asset Management. All rights reserved.