Counting down to the US election September 24, 2020 US elections are always significant and a point of interest around the world, but many are seeing this November’s as particularly so. Here are the big questions on the minds of investors. Can we trust the polls? Polls, as we all know, are not always correct. This time around they are of particular interest because [...]
Big Tech’s market might in five charts September 21, 2020 | City Talk The largest US technology stocks – Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook and Google (Alphabet) – known as the “FAMAGs”, tumbled sharply at the beginning of this month, after supercharging the US stock market from the depths of the Covid-pandemic in March. These “superstar” firms have largely benefitted from the economic fallout of the crisis, as more people [...]
Global stocks slip as coronavirus cases rise September 19, 2020 Stock markets around the world continued to stutter this week as an increase in Covid-19 cases in across Europe weighed on market sentiment. Wall Street saw early gains on Friday reverse and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended the session posting a third straight week of declines, led by this week’s Federal Reserve meeting and [...]
Six reasons why automation is poised to accelerate September 11, 2020 | City Talk Automation has long been a feature of the manufacturing sector, as companies seek to improve productivity and make high quality goods to a specific standard. But we think the level of automation is set for a sharp increase as innovation sparks a new smart manufacturing revolution. In the short term, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought [...]
What does value investing have in common with Forrest Gump? August 26, 2020 | City Talk Gump is rewarded for his determination and resilience in the face of vicious storms in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”. We believe returns could be bountiful for the genuinely long-term and patient value investor too. When I look at a chart like this, I think one of two things. Either it’s different this time for [...]
Wall Street hits new highs again after US-China trade deal talks August 25, 2020 US markets continued their record run this evening, once again closing at new highs after the US and China reaffirmed their commitment to President Donald Trump’s much-touted trade deal. Although the gains were more modest than yesterday, the benchmark S&P 500 closed up 0.4 per cent at 3,443 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq punched up [...]
Wall Street hits fresh highs as bull run continues apace August 24, 2020 Wall Street once again closed at record highs this evening as stocks soared on optimism over a potential new treatment for the coronavirus disease. Having last week reclaimed February’s pre-pandemic highs, neither the benchmark S&P 500 nor the Nasdaq showed any signs of slowing down, as the fastest ever recovery from a bear market continued [...]
What the data tells us about the shape of the US economic recovery August 7, 2020 | City Talk Looking at high-frequency data in the US, the key question is whether momentum in consumer spending can be sustained. Some signs of the much hoped-for V-shaped recovery have started to emerge for the US economy. While consumption collapsed in March and April due to lockdown measures and a jump in unemployment, stimulus cheques provided an [...]
Could the bounce-back be quashed by a second wave? August 4, 2020 | City Talk With some countries fearing a second wave of Covid-19 cases, Schroders’ chief economist Keith Wade considers whether a bounce back in the economy could be quashed. While there are hopes that the easing of lockdowns and reopening of businesses are beginning to give life to the global economy, fears of second waves of infections are [...]
Move over, US: time for a new stock market leader? July 1, 2020 | City Talk The US has dominated stock market returns globally ever since the Global Financial Crisis. But nothing lasts forever… Dominance in almost any walk of life goes in cycles. Just ask Manchester United fans or MySpace users… Well, the same can be said of markets. They also go through periods when certain regions (or companies) seem [...]