Should investors be more concerned about China’s slowdown? February 18, 2019 The rise of China has been astonishing and its growing influence on the world is one of the economic forces discussed in our inescapable investment truths for the decade ahead. But economies don’t grow in a straight line. China is facing a transition period. It is a country we monitor closely and we believe its [...]
US-China trade talks ‘making a final sprint’ towards a potential resolution – Chinese state media February 16, 2019 Trade talks between the US and China are “making a final sprint” towards a potential deal, according to Chinese state media. The People’s Daily – the official newspaper of the ruling Communist party – said talks this past week made important progress, striking a fresh tone of optimism ahead of more discussions in Washington in [...]
FTSE 100 hits fresh four-month high on US-China trade talk optimism and European banking boost February 15, 2019 The FTSE 100 ended a good week in strong fashion as optimism over the US-China trade dispute and the possibility of fresh stimulus measures for Eurozone banks boosted markets. The UK’s blue chip index rose to a fresh four-month high and closed 0.6 per cent up for the day at 7,237 points. European markets also rose as [...]
Financial services sector must prepare as tech giants set to shake up the industry, FSB warns February 14, 2019 The financial services sector must prepare for both the benefits and risks of tech giants shaking up the industry, the global finance regulator has warned. The Financial Stability Board said that tech giants, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple, were muscling into the financial services sector and predicted that expansion to continue. Read more: [...]
Don’t hold your breath for an easy fix to the US-China trade spat February 13, 2019 Towards the end of last year, my investment manager sent out a note predicting that the US-China trade spat would be resolved and that markets would rise as a result. I responded by saying that it was unlikely to happen, and that I personally preferred an investment portfolio that was very underweight in companies whose [...]
President Trump to meet Xi ‘very soon’ as markets hope for end to US-China trade war, Conway says February 12, 2019 President Donald Trump wants to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping soon in an effort to end the trade war that has raged between the US and China, according to an adviser. Kellyanne Conway, previously Trump's campaign manager and now counsellor to the White House, told Fox earlier this week that Trump “wants to meet with [...]
US market braces itself for US-China trade talks February 12, 2019 This week marks a resumption of trade talks between China and the US, so expect to see movement on the US equity markets as the headlines hit. Preliminary talks began on Monday and saw the US team fly to Beijing to try and close the gap – and tension – between the two nations when [...]
Gucci shrugs off China troubles after trumping sales estimates February 12, 2019 Kering’s flagship Gucci brand became the latest in a swathe of luxury retail names to buck fears of a slowdown in demand from Chinese shoppers today, after the Italian label trumped sales expectations for the final quarter of 2018. Outperforming many of its peers in the fourth quarter of last year, Kering posted a 23.3 per [...]
The stakes are high in the global 5G race February 12, 2019 High up in the Swiss Alps in Davos last month, it was clear that most of the town was pessimistic because of the outlook on trade and the global economy. But what should concern investors more is the breaking up of the global web through the arrival of what’s known as the “splinternet”. It’s increasingly likely [...]
US officials head to Beijing to resume trade talks as deadline for tariff war looms February 11, 2019 Asian markets finished with mixed results this morning while the FTSE 100 had an early rise, as investors looked forward to the reopening of trade talks between the US and China this week. A delegation of US officials, including Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, head to Beijing today for the next round of negotiations, but investors’ [...]