The Archive
In recent weeks Japanese and US equities have been attracting investors’ interest but, since the beginning of the year, the most significant investment flows have favored emerging markets funds. Investors happy to take on risk have decided that emerging economies offer a higher chance of upside than their developed peers. The performance […]
Read MoreIn the world of investment advice we have seen a lot of activity in the markets over the last few weeks. For many investors seeking for investment advice during last month will be glad that March is over!! With tense speculation and political deadlock, dominated by fears of Cyprus’s imminent default. Banks […]
Read MoreActive management is under fire once again. According to new data from Morningstar, just over half of the 263 funds in the UK All Companies sector have missed the rally since the market’s bottom in June 2012. Various commentators have been quick to seize on the research, arguing it once again raises […]
Read MoreThe Sunday Times reported this weekend of an end to the bond ‘craze’ and of a ‘wall of cash’ about to flee government bonds and land in the equity market. The paper quoted Goldman Sachs Asset Management chairman Jim O’Neill as saying his major institutional clients are starting to show renewed interest […]
Read MoreInvestors may feel as if they are still just emerging from a fug of mince pies and turkey but the impact of the US fiscal cliff negotiations has hit surprisingly quickly at the start of the new year. President Obama had only moments to enjoy the third quarter’s promising GDP figures before […]
Read More2012 draws to a close with many of the issues that have haunted markets appearing to be moving towards some kind of resolution. The European crisis may be rumbling on, with only minor progress made to a lasting solution to the debt problem, but ECB president Mario Draghi’s promise to “do whatever […]
Read MoreChancellor George Osborne’s Autumn Statement on 5 December refocused attention on the state of the UK economy, which did not bear up to much scrutiny since it appeared to be weakening on almost all metrics. Austerity measures have made little dent in the government debt mountain and growth remains elusive – but […]
Read MoreThe season to be jolly is always accompanied by speculation on the outlook for the year ahead. This year’s ponderings have been relatively diverse, with some economists and analysts believing investors should retreat into comfortable equity income stocks, while others argue it is time to embrace a little risk. However, the pundits […]
Read MoreThe ultimate blame for problems at Hewlett-Packard has yet to be attributed but, wherever responsibility is finally deemed to lie, the saga has revealed some uncomfortable truths about the operation of financial markets – not least with regard to UK software company Autonomy. Among the claims and counterclaims flying around are allegations […]
Read MoreChina’s economy would appear to have turned a corner. Government figures recently revealed factory output and retail sales significantly ahead of forecasts. At the same time, inflation dipped to its lowest level in 33 months, suggesting this higher growth had not yet led to a rebound in prices. Prime minister Wen Jiabao’s […]
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