At Aberdeen Standard Investments we are pleased to bring you this offer from Money Observer magazine – a vital read for anyone who is serious about investing. Money Observer is a monthly personal finance and…
Week in review: Come what May
“We do not believe in untrammelled free markets.” Perhaps an unlikely proclamation from a Conservative leader, but these words were uttered by UK Prime Minister Theresa May when launching the party’s general election manifesto. Mrs…
Week in Review – Phoning it in
Global equity investors started the week with a spring in their step, as Emmanuel Macron’s victory in Sunday’s final round of the French presidential election settled nerves in the Eurozone. But the defeat of Marine…
Week in review: May polls
While coloured ribbons are something of a spring tradition in parts of the UK, they’re more commonly seen hanging from the top of a maypole, ready for dancers to weave around it. But this week,…
Week in review: on the hustings
And then there were two. The first round of the French presidential election on Sunday failed to deliver an overall majority for any of the 11 candidates, meaning there will be a 7 May run-off…
Week in Review: May changes her tune
It seems rarely a week goes by without politics taking centre stage. This week started with the fallout from last weekend’s Turkish referendum, followed by the announcement of a snap general election in the UK,…
Asia: It’s the consumer
- Asia looked vulnerable in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory, but to date his impact has been limited - The growth of the consumer has been a far more exciting part of the Asian…
Week in Review: investors seek refuge in safe havens
Traditional safe haven investments such as gold, US Treasuries and the Japanese yen were all boosted by growing worries about the global geopolitical climate this week. The yield on the 10–year Treasury fell to 2.3%…
A less imperfect solution: Investment trusts and income
Company dividends are under pressure, with positive currency effects fading and dividend cover falling There is dividend growth to be found, but investors will need to look a little harder The investment trust structure allows…
Week in Review: Trump meets Xi
Thursday saw US President Donald Trump welcome his Chinese equivalent, President Xi Jinping. It was the first time the two have met face to face: a blind date, if you like, albeit one with global…
Week in review: and so it begins
There is a saying that “markets hate uncertainty” and there can be few times when the UK has faced a more uncertain path than the one currently in front of it. On Wednesday, UK Prime…
Week in review: S&P slides on concerns over Trump agenda
A sharp sell-off for US financial stocks helped drive the S&P 500 index down more than one per cent on Tuesday – its worst one-day performance since before Donald Trump’s election victory in November. That…
Week in review: sometimes boring’s best for markets
This week, the major events influencing global financial markets were not so much tales of the unexpected as stories of the entirely predictable. After a year of shocks and political upheaval, investors were reassured by…
Week in Review: holding fire
For someone who goes under the nickname “Spreadsheet Phil”, UK Chancellor Philip Hammond’s first Budget was surprisingly upbeat. Containing only 28 measures compared to 77 within George Osborne’s previous Spring Budget, it was a noticeably…
Politics and financial markets: an uneasy relationship
By Cherry Reynard. Politics have influenced financial markets, but does this mean they should influence investors? The influence of political events on markets is largely unpredictable Political disruption may bring opportunities where markets over-react …
A turning tide for globalisation: The impact on emerging markets
By Cherry Reynard. Anti-globalisation sentiment threatens to dent global trade Emerging markets have been a beneficiary of globalisation and therefore look vulnerable Reversing the tide of globalisation will be extremely difficult and emerging markets may…
Week in Review: Snap’d up
Yesterday saw Snapchat go public in the largest float since Chinese eCommerce giant Alibaba in 2014. The company’s young founders – one of whom is a Stanford drop-out – become the latest tech multi-billionaires. In…
Week in review: Germany powers ahead
For most of February, the UK has been in the heady position of boasting the world’s fastest growing major advanced economy. First estimates from the Office for National Statistics, published at the back end of…
Week in review: the return of inflation
Inflation is back. Figures released this week on both sides of the Atlantic painted a picture of rising prices – and the possibility of an end to the days of ultra-low price increases. The UK’s…