How worried should we be about the slowdown in German manufacturing? November 19, 2018 | City Talk German industrial production contracted by 1.2% in Q3 and is behind the general slowdown being seen in eurozone manufacturing. What is causing the decline and how concerned should investors be? Kaputte Autos Taking a closer look at the breakdown of Germany’s production data reveals that most of the economy’s manufacturing sub-sectors are performing well. The [...]
Asset managers back Big Four audit firms in competition watchdog consultation November 15, 2018 Investment management firms have called on the competition watchdog to ensure the quality of audit is not affected as it probes the dominance of the so-called Big Four firms. In a response to the Competition and Markets Authority Standard Life said the division of the dominant audit firms – PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY – [...]
US midterm elections: Is gridlock good? November 14, 2018 | City Talk Further tax cuts unlikely but will Trump strike a deal on trade? Keith Wade, Chief Economist, says: “The midterm elections restored some faith in opinion polls with the Democrats taking the House of Representatives and the Republicans holding the Senate. Conventional wisdom has it that a gridlocked Congress is good for markets as it prevents [...]
How emerging markets have changed over the past 20 years November 8, 2018 | City Talk The transformation of emerging markets has been remarkable. The countries and companies that dominated 20 years ago have changed dramatically, influenced by the major geopolitical, economic and demographic changes that have taken place over this time. Navigating these changes can be complex, but these developments underline the importance of taking a flexible, active approach and [...]
Budget 2018: Austerity killed off – if a Brexit horror show is avoided October 31, 2018 | City Talk The 2018 Budget was brought forward this year to avoid a nightmare clash with the Brexit negotiations. It was clear from the Chancellor’s speech that he was keen to avoid a ghoulish backlash from any controversial announcements. Indeed, the majority of policy measures unearthed had been leaked to the press beforehand, leaving Philip Hammond with [...]
Brazil backs Bolsanaro: what next? October 31, 2018 The will and ability to reform Financial markets, at least, had been rooting for a defeat of the left-wing candidate Fernando Haddad, successor to former president Lula, on the basis of the very different economic policies espoused by the two candidates. Superficially, this seems odd given that Bolsonaro has repeatedly voted against reform and spoken [...]
Market falls: cause for alarm or calm? October 26, 2018 | City Talk Stock markets globally have been falling since the end of September. Economic worries including a potential trade war between the US and China, currency crises in Turkey and Argentina, debt problems in Italy and rising interest rates have seen stocks globally begin to fall from record highs. As the chart shows, since 31 August emerging [...]
The one-word secret of the greatest investor you’ve never heard of October 24, 2018 | City Talk Type a phrase such as ‘world’s greatest investors’ into Google and Philip Carret’s name is unlikely to crop up. And yet, as the following chart shows, for sheer longevity of success, he is one of just a handful of investors who can be mentioned in the same breath as Warren Buffett. That is why his [...]
Lloyds and Schroders sign £80bn joint venture deal October 23, 2018 Lloyds Banking Group and Schroders struck one of the City’s largest ever wealth management alliances this afternoon, joining forces in a multi-billion pound deal aimed at financial planning for wealthy customers. As part of the joint venture, Schroders will take on an £80bn investment contract from Scottish Widows, which is owned by Lloyds. Schroders, which [...]
Reading week picks: Will these two books make me a better investor? October 18, 2018 | City Talk For one whole week this summer, the value investment team I lead at Schroders held its inaugural Reading Week – all heading to our respective homes to read books. To be very clear, great care was taken to ensure no portfolios were left unattended and we could always be contacted. Nor, just in case you [...]