Investment Commentary

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbone Investment Insights Q4 2019
October 15 2019
Trade wars continue to cloud the outlook for businesses and consumers. Closer to home, Brexit uncertainty has gone from bad to worse. Our new Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s first few weeks in office have been pretty spectacular. more...

Investment Webcast for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Aviva Investors: Earth, Wind and Fire: Do you remember, … September?
October 15 2019
A lot has happened in markets since September 2018. Ironically, concerns about slowing growth led to the Fed’s “dovish pivot”, which in turn has boosted returns across a range of financial assets. more...

investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Orbis Investments: Man and machine: mapping risk better together
October 14 2019
In Above-average companies, below-average prices, we walked through valuation and fundamental measures for the Global Equity Strategy, highlighting a few “clusters” of ideas. We believe that perspective is important. To assess a portfolio’s return prospects, looking at fundamental and valuation metrics is vital. But to assess a portfolio’s risk, another angle is also useful: how our holdings behave. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Schroders: Five reasons why global cities are the ultimate investment super-trend
October 14 2019
Cities are becoming more important than countries, with their success determined by innovation, efficiency and the clustering of industries. What does this mean for investors? more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbones In the KNOW blog: Be clear, be trustworthy
October 11 2019
Brits are on board with investing sustainably to make the world a better place, but impenetrable jargon and complicated processes are preventing them from doing so. We need to try harder to speak their language, says Rathbone Global Sustainability Fund manager David Harrison. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - M&G: Central banks turn on the taps
October 8 2019
Central banks globally have turned on the taps, keeping a lid on interest rates and bond yields. In this month’s video, Investment Specialist, Kirsty Clark discusses the recent round of QE from central banks as dark clouds loom over the global economy. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Schroders: The fund industry’s wake-up call: how investors want us to act
October 7 2019
Jessica Ground, Global Head of Stewardship, explains why for companies, sustainability is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s an imperative. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - M&G: Lots of noise, but it’s not the end of the world
October 4 2019
To date, it has been another interesting year for financial markets. Investors have settled into a scenario of loose monetary policy, which have eased fears of an imminent recession, although volatility remains. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Schroders: How will today's consumption tax rise affect Japan's economy?
October 2 2019
In a long-awaited move for Japanese economists, investors and policymakers, today Japan raised Value-Added-Tax (VAT) – otherwise known as the consumption tax – from 8% to 10%. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbones In the KNOW blog: The benefits of DFM to an adviser’s working week
October 1 2019
Lifting the burdensome task of managing client investments from an adviser’s shoulders has an undeniable effect on the structure and goals of their average working week, according to the Rathbones Value of Discretionary Fund Management (DFM) report. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Invesco: US: Facing a slowdown or recession?
October 1 2019
The dreaded R word is garnering more attention with the US Federal Reserve in dovish mode and bond markets in a state of flux following the recent inversion of the yield curve. Is the economic data ringing any alarm bells? more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Aviva Investors sustainable income & growth fund webinar – earn CPD points
September 30 2019
As interest rates remain close to rock-bottom levels and retirement journeys become ever-more complex, the need for reliable income solutions has never been greater. In this environment, bottom-up security selection provides an alternative approach to conventional multi-asset income portfolios. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbones In the KNOW blog: Time to buckle up
September 30 2019
New threats require new defences. Our head of multi-asset investments David Coombs explains how he’s filling the sandbags to protect his funds against a populist storm. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers & Paraplanners - Invesco: Culture clashes and windscreen smashes
September 27 2019
The first Chinese ‘A’ share we owned in the Invesco Asian Fund (UK) was a company called Fuyao Glass. Although we no longer own Fuyao, two other Chinese auto parts companies with clear parallels – Huayu and Minth – are currently held in this fund. more...

DFM update for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbones: The value of DFM
September 25 2019
While partnering with a Discretionary Fund Manager is an established investment discipline, there’s been virtually no hard data on how advisers who’ve adopted it have performed against non-adopters. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - M&G Meet the Managers 2019: Last chance to register
September 24 2019
Register now for the M&G Meet the Managers live stream on Thursday 26 September to hear from six fund managers who will share their insights on equities, fixed income and commercial property. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers & Paraplanners - Seneca: Active management and the predictability of markets #2: Robert Shiller
September 23 2019
This is the second in a series of four of my investment letters dedicated to active management, focussing on some of the key figures involved in the study of market predictabilities. Having last month written about the “father of modern finance”, Eugene Fama, this month I take a look at Yale economist, Robert Shiller. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers & Paraplanners - Schroders: Has value investing been disrupted?
September 23 2019
Disruption is a major theme in stock markets today with companies such as Amazon and Uber challenging the traditional approach to their respective industries. Such companies are an example of so-called "growth" stocks, with investors attracted by their prospects for expansion and future revenue growth. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Baillie Gifford: Island Time: Slow Bond Investing
September 20 2019
Torcail Stewart, investment manager in Baillie Gifford’s Credit team, wants those who are investing in bonds to slow down and take some tips from Island living. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Prudential Multi – Multi - Asset Investment Update
September 20 2019
Join Phil Butler, Multi Asset Portfolio Manager at M&GPrudential Treasury and Investment Office, for a reflection on market performance across 2019 so far. In this video, he also looks at the Fed’s rate cuts, notable investment activity across Q2 and also outlines if there’s cause for concern when it comes to the mixed macro picture that’s appearing. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Square Mile Research: A Spotlight On: Global Equity Income
September 20 2019
As at the end of December 2018, the IA Global Equity Income sector comprised of 56 funds with combined assets in excess of £19bn. To meet the IA’s sector requirements, funds must achieve a yield premium to that of the MSCI World index and allocate at least 80% of their assets to global equities. In practice, the sector includes funds which seek to deliver multiple outcomes, and is one that we would further categorise into three sub-groups; funds that seek to provide a yield in excess of the index (including enhanced income strategies), funds that seek to grow their dividend distributions over time and those which seek to provide a level of total return, when income is reinvested. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers & Paraplanners - Aviva Investors: Investors must hold bad bosses to account
September 20 2019
Institutional shareholders need to be as agile and active as private equity in dealing with failures of leadership. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Aegon: Multi-asset, models or DFMs?
September 16 2019
In house or external governance? Multi-asset models or DFMs? How are retiring clients investing? Understand the platform investment trends report to find out. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - You are invited to the Invesco 2019 Investment Intelligence Seminars - 80 mins structured CPD
September 13 2019
Register now for Round 3 of the Invesco 2019 Investment Intelligence Seminars, running from September to December with over 70 venues and dates to chose from. These are amongst the most popular events in the market - spaces go fast, so make sure you sign up! more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Baillie Gifford: Finding Europe’s Hidden Champions
September 13 2019
There are lots of reasons not to invest in Europe. Its economic growth is uninspiring and much of its stock index is made up of bureaucratic corporate dinosaurs. But beyond the negative headlines, there are still exciting investment opportunities to found, including potential ‘tenbaggers’, companies whose share price could increase ten-fold. Stephen Paice discusses in the latest episode of Baillie Gifford’s podcast ‘Short Briefings on Long Term Thinking’. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Aviva Investors: BP vote demonstrates power of engagement
September 12 2019
As climate change rises up the political agenda throughout the West and beyond, shareholders have an important role to play in limiting global fossil fuel consumption by pressuring oil companies to amend their strategies, argues Sora Utzinger. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Rathbones In the KNOW blog: No-deal panic in Purton
September 12 2019
As Brexit uncertainty descends into the ridiculous, head of multi-asset investments David Coombs finds himself in the strange position of hoping for a no-deal to bring some clarity. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - M&G: Falling yields – has gold got its shine back?
September 12 2019
Gold has been trending upwards since the fourth quarter sell-off and is now at its highest level since 2013. In this month’s video, Investment Director, Ritu Vohora looks at the driving forces behind investors’ renewed interest in the yellow metal. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Baillie Gifford: Space- the final investment frontier
September 12 2019
Entrepreneurs on the west coast of America are stepping up spending on space. Luke Ward, investment manager, discusses how this new space age might impact investment in this episode of Baillie Gifford’s podcast ‘Short Briefings on Long Term Thinking.’ more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Square Mile Research: A spotlight on: Emerging Market Debt Sector
September 12 2019
The funds in this sector may invest in the debt of emerging market governments and corporates issued in both hard (developed market) currencies, and local (domestic market) currencies. The yield on these bonds tends to offer a significant premium to the yields available on equivalent debt issued in developed markets as shown in figure 1, although it brings with it commensurate risks. more...

Investment news for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Seneca Global Income & Growth Trust plc factsheet is now available
September 10 2019
The value of Seneca - applying a value ethos across a range of assets: why restrict good thinking to just one asset class when it can be applied to many? more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Invesco: The Polish economy is bucking the trend – and what this meant for our portfolio
September 9 2019
Whilst most European economies are struggling, the Polish economy is defying expectations: it has seen solid growth rates, strong wage growth and an improved current account balance relative to history. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Baillie Gifford: What if China breaks away?
September 9 2019
Should strained relations between the US and China become a full-blown rift, it could hurt global trade and stymie investors. Read this and more in the latest issue of Enlightenment, the funds magazine from Baillie Gifford. more...

Better Business News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - The power of asking more questions and making fewer assumptions
September 4 2019
We probably all like to think of ourselves as reasonably open-minded and that we do not make assumptions or jump to conclusions about other people – especially where our clients and potential are concerned. more...

Investment video for Financial advisers and paraplanners - Invesco: Flying update: Three things to consider in autumn
September 3 2019
119 seconds – Back to school! Lewis Aubrey-Johnson, Head of Fixed Income Products, discusses three things you need to think about when it comes to fixed income portfolios this autumn. more...

Partner Video for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Fund Update: M&G Optimal Income Fund
September 2 2019
In this short video, fund manager Richard Woolnough explains why he doesn’t share the market’s nervousness about prospects for the global economy, and how this view is reflected in the fund’s positioning. After a positive first half of the year for risk assets, Richard discusses where he believes the best relative value now lies. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Invesco: What does the inverted US yield curve tell us?
August 29 2019
The US yield curve inverted for the first time since 2007. What is the yield curve’s success in predicting previous US recessions? Is the inversion consistent with US data? What other reasons could be causing the inversion? Fund Manager, Stuart Edwards gives his views on the recent inversion of the yield curve. more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - M&G: Broadening trade wars: could Trump take aim at the EU, again?
August 29 2019
As the US and China continue their game of ‘tug-of-war’ in trade negotiations, could Trump turn his attention to the EU? Investment specialist, Kirsty Clark, discusses the prospect of a trade war between the US and EU? more...

Investment News for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Aviva Investors: ESG and real assets: A matter of balance
August 27 2019
Assessing ESG risks within real asset investments is far from straightforward. Mark Versey and Stanley Kwong use five case studies to illustrate the balance of ESG risk factors that affects investment decision-making, beyond simply trying to be ‘green’. more...

Investment update for Financial Advisers and Paraplanners - Active management and the predictability of markets #1: Eugene Fama
August 19 2019
According to Moody’s, total assets in passive funds in the US will overtake those in actively managed funds in 2021. In light of this significant moment being almost upon us, I thought it would be interesting to write about the predictability of financial markets - the basis of active management - and some of the key protagonists. more...