Global league table of ‘caring’ investors: Americans more focused on sustainability than Europeans September 20, 2018 The US is the only developed country to make the top 10 of a sustainable investment league table that gauges consumer habits and investing actions. Countries in the developing world dominated the top ten while European countries occupied the middle and lower half of the league table. The results of the Schroders Global Investor Study [...]
Financial markets 2018: the year in review January 7, 2019 After two years of steady growth in asset prices, 2018 proved more of a challenge for investors, particularly in the last three months of the year. US president Donald Trump’s tax cuts had provided an added boost for investors heading into 2018, and US GDP growth accelerated to 4.2 per cent on an annualised quarterly basis [...]
UK fintech: Philip Hammond is launching a strategy for Britain’s fintech sector this week March 19, 2018 Chancellor Philip Hammond is set to launch a fintech strategy this week to bolster the industry in the UK. Hammond is expected to reveal the plan at an international conference on Thursday. According to The Sunday Times, he will say the Financial Services Trade and Investment Board has been asked to pick out two areas [...]
3 reasons why the world economy is slowing August 6, 2018 Losing momentum Although near-term activity indicators remain stable, growth has been less synchronised in 2018 than it was in 2017 when major regions were all accelerating. Asia and Europe appear to be slowing, and Friday's jobs data in the US suggests that the world economy is entering a soft patch. We see three main factors [...]
Form alliance with Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore to boost City after Brexit, Shanker Singham argues in new report May 4, 2018 The City should forge alliances with other major financial hubs to strengthen and boost its position in the post-Brexit world, a new report by influential trade wonk Shanker Singham argues. According to Singham and co-author Catherine McBride, both of whom left Legatum to join the Institute of Economic Affairs in March, the UK should use [...]
Why broadening your definition of risk might prove beneficial September 24, 2018 Risk. Many financial commentators and industry professionals agree it is one of the most important considerations for any investor. In our review of financial media, we see near-constant coverage of it—particularly the risk of loss. Commentary often dwells on the potential for current events to drive equity market declines, warning risks lurk. We, too, [...]
Brexit: 23 answers to investors’ questions October 16, 2018 The UK’s scheduled departure from the EU is fast approaching. Many observers are hopeful for an orderly withdrawal. But plenty of potential pitfalls between now and Brexit-day which could result in a chaotic divorce. The only near-certainty at present is that the UK will cease to be a full member of the EU on 29 [...]
Can the UK economy cope with sustained house price falls? June 19, 2018 Brexit uncertainty is far from over. Indeed, as we approach the crunch point in negotiations over the summer, we expect rhetoric of hard Brexit and a cliff edge to reach a crescendo, before a final deal is agreed in September or October. Meanwhile, business and consumer confidence are likely to continue to suffer, causing decisions [...]
Provident Financial share surge makes it “a proper short again” as hedge funds sense a fresh opportunity March 4, 2018 Hedge funds have upped bets against Provident Financial, hoping to capitalise on any negative reaction to the sub-prime lender’s recent share price surge. Provident’s market value leapt over 70 per cent on Tuesday. While soaring to around 1,000p a share, its stock market value remains less than a third of what it was a year [...]
Five charts that explain the case for emerging markets October 8, 2018 Investors generally understand the importance of emerging markets in terms of their economic impact but, perhaps due to lack of knowledge, often struggle to know how best to reflect this in their portfolios. Those investors have ignored what are some of the world's best-performing financial markets since the turn of the millennium. What is more, [...]