Are value-focused managers making the most of political uncertainty? With Brexit looming, questions continue to be asked about the UK’s economic prospects and the outlook for UK investments remains uncertain. UK equities are unloved, but…
Europe: A contrarian investor’s view…
The UK’s referendum on membership` of the European Union has produced very little, so far, in terms of concrete change – instead it seems to have become the most bitterly fought contest to see who…
Market review: slow progress
The Brexit discussions rumble on. Two and a half months on from the 23 June vote, the details of Britain’s proposed departure from the European Union (EU) remain unclear. Perhaps worried that the phrase is…
Week in Review: ‘gotta catch ’em all’
New Chancellor Phillip Hammond delivered his first round up of the economy this week as official figures showed a narrowing deficit. UK retail figures have taken a turn for the worse though, with June delivering…
Week in review: Brexit – a Shakespearean drama
The internet was awash with jokes and cheeky puns following last week’s historic Brexit vote followed by England’s defeat to minnows Iceland at the Euro 2016 football championships. “England leaves Europe twice in one week”…
A Financial and Political Turning Point
It’s been an incredibly long couple of days as we tried to navigate the initial fallout from the ‘Brexit’ vote in the markets, and then sit down to consider the longer term implications of what…
How leaving the EU could impact UK house prices and shares
As outside chances continue to become inside chances in global politics, the possibility that the UK could leave the European Union (EU) is increasing, with the latest polls from both YouGov and ICM suggesting that…
Another European Summer of Discontent
Five of the last six Summers have seen European troubles bubbling to the surface. It appears that this year, Europe is again struggling to contain some wildfires that have just taken hold. Indeed, after four…
Euro 2016: the bond investor’s guide to the odds
Fans across Europe are preparing for the continent’s biggest football tournament – Euro 2016. 24 national teams will battle it out over 30 days across 10 venues in France. Here, we take a look at…
Week in review: the gloves are off
Vienna played host to both oil ministers and European Central Bank’s (ECB) delegates for meetings in the Austrian capital this week. In the UK, the upcoming European Union (EU) referendum continues to dominate headlines while…
Market review: mixed fortunes
UK investors had reason to cheer this week, with the FTSE 100 up by 2.6% as at Thursday’s close. Highlighting the international nature of our “domestic” index, the move up was driven by strong performance…
Long Term Issues Dominate Sterling – It’s not just about Brexit
The UK finds itself in a very uncomfortable position at the moment. Although most of the scary headlines recently have surrounded the question of whether we vote to leave the EU or not, we see…
How Will Markets React to the ECB’s Last Bullet?
Back on 12th December (in our note titled “Some Dangerous Signals Appear in Financial Markets”, see here, we outlined what we thought were two potential scenarios for 2016. In the note, we said ”…we believe…
Market review: Saving the euro
For many years now, Mario Draghi has relied on a four-word promise to keep the Eurozone ship on an even keel. The European Central Bank (ECB) president has repeatedly asserted that he would “do whatever…
Draghi Disappoints which could Lead to Market Dislocation
It has become clear that certain events this December would likely generate a heightened degree of volatility and could set the tone of markets as we move into 2016. Four days into the month…