How does the stock market perform when the VIX fear gauge surges? March 3, 2020 | City Talk The spread of the coronavirus has sent shock waves through global stock markets. Alongside plummeting share prices, the VIX index, the market’s so-called fear gauge, has shot up. At the time of writing, on 28 February, it stands at over 40. This is very high compared to long-term norms. Since 1990, it has averaged 19 [...]
Does the January effect really exist? February 12, 2020 | City Talk January 2020 was either a good month or a bad month for investing. While 10 of the 23 countries in the MSCI World index of global developed markets generated a positive return, more than half lost money. Returns varied between +6.1% (Portugal) and -5.0% (Austria). Past Performance is not a guide to future performance and [...]
What the return of Middle East tensions could mean for markets January 8, 2020 | City Talk Last week’s assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ overseas forces, has reignited tensions in the Middle East and sent tremors through asset markets. The oil price has risen sharply to over $70 a barrel at the time of writing, amid concerns that tensions in the region will impact supply. Meanwhile, [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown recruits Schroders veteran to board December 16, 2019 Hargreaves Lansdown has recruited Schroders’ global head of distribution, John Troiano, to join its board as an independent non-executive director. Troiano will join the board when he retires from Schroders at the end of 2019, after 38 years at the firm. He will also join the board of Hargreaves’ subsidiary asset managers, Hargreaves Lansdown Fund [...]
Asset manager Schroders cuts jobs in restructuring drive December 5, 2019 Asset manager Schroders is embarking on a restructuring drive that will place more emphasis on growth areas including private assets and wealth management but will lead to job cuts. The restructuring effort could lead to around 200 job cuts globally, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter. Read more: AJ Bell fears ‘domino [...]
Why as an investor I’m looking through Brexit fears September 24, 2019 | City Talk Following the twists and turns in Westminster of the past few weeks I expect many more market participants will simply place UK equities in the “too difficult” basket. Anecdotal stories of overseas investors selling their last UK stocks could start doing the rounds again. Brexit and political uncertainty have been a drag on UK equities, [...]
Why M&S’ relegation from the FTSE 100 doesn’t mean the death of the High Street September 20, 2019 | City Talk Marks and Spencer (M&S) is set to be relegated from the FTSE 100 after the close of business today. This will be the first time that the company has lost its blue chip status. The UK retailer was a founder member of the FTSE 100 and a stalwart of the UK High Street. But its [...]
Can we avoid an energy crunch? September 18, 2019 | City Talk The energy transition has to happen. Climate change can no longer be ignored and the political will is finally there to confront the substantial challenges. The first stage of this process is the switch from energy produced by coal and gas to energy produced by renewables, such as wind, solar and geothermal. As part of [...]
‘Gen Xers care more about sustainability than millennials’ September 17, 2019 | City Talk People from Generation X – defined as those between 38 and 50 years of age – appear more motivated to invest sustainably than millennials. New research found 61 per cent of “Generation Xers” always consider sustainability factors when selecting an investment product, compared with 59 per cent of millennials, who are 18 to 37 years [...]
How will global disruption affect small cap stocks? September 9, 2019 | City Talk Small capitalisation stocks, or small caps, can offer the potential for higher returns compared with investing in larger companies, although they are not without risks. As with all equities, investors may not get back the amount they originally invested. As well as the potential for higher returns, investors are also being drawn to the sector [...]