News

Economic data is likely to become increasingly less reliable as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown.  We know that the effect on the global economy will be bad, we just do not know how bad.  That is why we are seeing significant stimulus packages from governments around the world and why they keep getting bigger. …

This week we have seen the US Federal Reserve offer unlimited quantitative policy, along with various other bells and whistles.  This is to keep the wheels of monetary policy lubricated; to encourage lending to companies by banks, and in turn this may save some jobs.  It may also help to stabilise the markets, which would…

Basic evolutionary theory teaches us that adaptation is the biological mechanism by which humans adjust to changes in their environments. We find ourselves living in a period of great change, and it is those that adapt to change best that will come out on top, after the virus subsides. In the UK, we are being urged to stay indoors and…

Policymakers around the globe are turning to their fiscal armouries to meet the economic challenges that the Coronavirus is, and will be, causing.  This is a welcome development and as we have written previously, central banks have all but exhausted what monetary policy can achieve. President Trump is pushing for a stimulus package that could…

Memories of what it was like during the turmoil of the global financial crisis have resurfaced, but even in the height of the tumultuous times of 2008 and 2009, the market did not have such extreme one-day movements as we have just experienced. Last week we had two of the worst days in history of…

Global equity markets saw an increase in volatility last week amid mounting fears of a global pandemic. The MSCI ACWI and the S&P 500 saw the most violent swings, both indices were in positive territory midweek but fell by -1.53% and -1.36% respectively in Sterling terms at market close on Friday. The FTSE All-Share finished…

It was media heaven last week as the headlines screamed about the worst week for investors since the global financial crisis in 2008.  The Coronavirus has encapsulated the fears of investors; like the disease, they fear the spread and fallout in markets will ultimately lead to the next recession. Policymakers around the world look to…

Last week the Home Secretary, Priti Patel announced a new points-based immigration system as part of the post-Brexit reform. This will bring an end to the free movement of labour and will come into play from the 1st January 2021. The new system builds on the Australian immigration model where the objective is to create…