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An Equity Market Update
As we head towards the end of 2017, we all naturally begin to think about the year ahead and what it may hold. For us, the real surprise in 2017 was the continued re-rating of…
Week in review: a bit of a bubble?
Digital currencies were in choppy waters this week. The value of bitcoin surged above $11,000 for the first time, before dipping by around 16% on Thursday. Such volatility is not unusual in the world of…
Good News in the Pipeline for Mexico
Last July, as part of Mexico’s energy reform, the National Hydrocarbons Commission (CNH) – the government’s upstream energy regulator – successfully carried out the second and third bidding round of the second tender process (Round…
Graphic Content – November; corporate bond risk premia are now the lowest ever For Professional Investors Only
Risk premia on a corporate bond can be broken down into two component parts. The first is the term premium, which relates to the risk premium on an underlying government bond, and is the extra…
US Dollar Struggles as Euro Gains Top Spot – A review of the Major Global Currencies
My colleagues have been urging me to write a weekly commentary on Bitcoin/Cryptocurrencies. However, although my interest in the sector is growing, I am not sure that I am nowhere near close enough to the…
Surging ahead
Private equity investment companies have recovered strongly following the global financial crisis. Over 1, 3 and 5 years, the average investment company in the Private Equity sector has returned an impressive 21%, 66% and 117%…
Week in Review: Walking a tightrope
Opponents of Angela Merkel may have felt a hint of Schadenfreude this week. Once Europe’s most powerful leader, she is now fighting to prolong her 12-year reign as Germany’s Chancellor. Merkel’s angst The troubles started…
What did you think of the Budget?
Ben Kumar, Investment Manager, Seven Investment Management The UK Budget is usually as much a political statement as it is a fiscal one. Given the current state of UK politics, Philip Hammond might have preferred…
25 years in closed-ended funds
Financial freedom - or the ability to own your home, choose how you work and when you retire - may seem out of reach to many young people today. High house prices, insecure jobs in…
Temer Hangs On
The presidential cycle that began with Dilma Rousseff’s victory in 2014 and will end when caretaker president Temer steps aside for the winner of the 2018 election, has been defined by the Lava Jato (Car…
Our Base Case Scenario
Our base case scenario remains unchanged. We think that the post Global Financial Crisis economic recovery is now in the late cycle stage. The US is the most mature, and naturally the Federal Reserve is…
Week in review: electric nightmares?
Global equity markets failed to light up this week as investors reacted to mixed economic data and corporate earnings news. At first, positive corporate trading reports were thin on the ground, and included a disappointing…
Still swimming in calm seas?
Alex Scott, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Seven Investment Management Markets are maintaining the state of dead calm that we wrote about last month. The clock ticks on, with little sign of equity volatility. The tally…
Martin Currie Asia Unconstrained Trust Half Year Results 2017
Martin Currie Asia Unconstrained Trust has announced positive results for the six-month period ending 30 September 2017. Download PDF: AUT Interim report 2017
Credit Market Wobbles Setup Potential Equity Market Test
After over a year without a more than 3% correction in the S&P 500, surely it is a matter of time before something wobbles and equity markets react. To be fair, the market has had…
Week in Review: “And now there came an Amazon …”
So ends one version of the Iliad, as the Amazon queen Penthesilea arrives to do battle with the Greeks. The Amazons of ancient myth were fearsome female warriors from Scythia. The modern incarnation is an e-commerce…
Foreword from Annabel-Brodie Smith
I’m thrilled that we have a new contributor to Compass this month, namely Ian Cowie. Ian is one of the most experienced investment journalists and has been an investor and supporter of investment companies for…
Day of the Dead for Mexico and Nafta?
The only real decision to come out of the fourth round of talks was to delay any eventual decision until 2018. For businesses and investors that means the uncertainty continues. Moreover with Mexico going to…