Peter Harrison: The City must back Sunak’s vision for the stock market April 26, 2021 | City Talk The relationship between the stock market and the economy is fundamental to any nation’s wealth. Without the effective channelling of capital to the best businesses, all suffer. For decades, London has been a world-leading financial hub, but now its future is less certain. First, consider an example of its success. Exactly 20 years ago, a [...]
Why the going is about to get tougher for investing in climate change April 23, 2021 | City Talk 2020 was an extraordinary year for climate change action. Public opinion, governments, businesses and financial markets all had major shifts in their appreciation of the urgent need to address the climate crisis. More investment, research and development, and international collaboration will now come together to enable a faster transition to a net zero economy. While [...]
Mind the GAAP! The dangers of “growth at any price” stocks April 19, 2021 | City Talk Anyone who has ever taken a subway in New York City or frequented the London Underground will be familiar with the warning to “mind the gap” between the carriage and platform. In a similar fashion, investors also need to be fully aware of the dangers posed by the GAAP, or “growth at any price” stocks. [...]
Treasury tremors: how does the current sell-off compare with past episodes? April 16, 2021 | City Talk US Treasuries have seen the second worst start to a year and third worst quarter in 50 years. It is another eye-catching development amid what have been extreme conditions in markets and the economy over the past year. Bond markets have seen particularly unusual circumstances, with yields falling ever lower and an increasing number of [...]
The pros, cons and incentives behind the SPAC-craze sweeping markets April 14, 2021 | City Talk There have been 378 initial public offerings (IPOs) in the US in the first three months of 2021. That’s more than in any full calendar year between 2003 and 2019. The $139 billion raised so far this year is more than two and a half times the yearly average over this period. They already have [...]
Johanna Kyrklund: the FOMO market is over – so, what’s next? April 12, 2021 | City Talk Maybe lockdown has made me more middle aged and boring. I’m just not as interested in trendy stuff any more, both in my personal life (I opted for a VW ID3, not a Tesla, after all) and now in investing. But in today’s markets a more boring approach – favouring diversification and judiciousness over more [...]
Why China’s electric vehicle market is at full throttle April 9, 2021 | City Talk We get under the bonnet and look at what’s driving growth in China’s electric vehicle market After a dip in sales in 2019 and the impact of the pandemic in early 2020, the market for electric vehicles (EVs) in China is recovering strongly. Among the factors driving this acceleration in sales is the combination of [...]
From coal to hydrogen: an old mode of transport that’s back in fashion April 1, 2021 | City Talk MyStory: In the second in a new series of stories about looking beyond profit, Schroders’ Nicholette MacDonald-Brown explains how French train manufacturer Alstom changed its spots. In the early twentieth century rail was a dirty business, burning coal and competing with other transport on the basis of speed, price and luxury. Pollution wasn’t a factor. [...]
Which equity sectors can combat higher inflation? March 31, 2021 | City Talk Some investors are worried that inflation is set to rise. We look at which equity sectors could prove to be the most resilient. The sharp rise in bond yields over recent weeks has rattled equity markets amid fears that fiscal stimulus and a post-pandemic spending splurge could stoke higher inflation. Five-year inflation expectations, as measured [...]
What 175 years of data tell us about house price affordability in the UK March 29, 2021 | City Talk What we’ve learned from nearly 200 years of housing data – and is property really a better investment than a pension? We dug into the treasure trove that is the Bank of England’s Millennium of data resource to analyse the history of house prices. We found that the average house in the UK currently costs more than [...]